Sawt Falasteen - 'Joy, faith, love': giant crowd flocks to pope's Madrid mass

Cibeles Square -- best known as the rallying point for Real Madrid fans celebrating their club's titles -- was transformed into a giant communion of a different kind on day two of the pontiff's visit to Spain.

A human tsunami -- numbering more than 1.2 million people according to organisers -- braved the heat. Many lay on the bare pavements from the early morning to get a better spot.

Crowds lined the streets crying out "Long live the pope!" as Leo saluted the faithful from his popemobile before the mass.

Laura Peralta, a 46-year-old school councillor, had travelled from the southern region of Andalusia and would not have missed an occasion of "excitement, joy, faith and love" for the world.

Leo had called for an end to "polarising narratives" as a week-long state visit expected to focus on migration and social issues began on Saturday, a source of inspiration for Peralta.

"They are good teachings, whether we believe in him or not. They are humanitarian teachings," Peralta said of Leo, the fourth pope she has seen after John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis.

Groups of all ages converged on the city centre to the sound of drums and guitars, with hardy pilgrims lugging rucksacks and camping material on their backs.

Teresa Valdecantos arrived propped up on crutches but was undeterred. "Who doesn't have pain? I've come with a good chair," she told AFP.

Leo's visit to Spain was "a celebration for families, a source of joy, hope, to participate in that and also to welcome", she said.

The human resources employee in her 50s found the pontiff "extraordinary" during Saturday's prayer vigil with 500,000 mostly young people, seeing a "very positive message of joy".

- 'We want to see the pope!' -

The authorities had prepared a vast logistical and security operation to secure the Mass and the ensuing procession led by Leo.

Central Madrid was decked out with banners bearing the pope's face and thousands of white and yellow carnations, matching the Vatican flag's colours.

But closer to the high-security perimeter, a crowd of worshippers despaired as police officers blocked their route.

"We want to see the pope!" they chanted in the small streets surrounding Cibeles square, brandishing their QR access codes on sheets of paper and phones.

"I have come to meet Jesus Christ through the words of the pope," 30-year-old police officer Marta Perez told AFP.

"He's come to do good, with all his love," she said of Leo's firm stance in favour of peace and migrants.

Catholicism has played a central role in Spanish life for centuries, but traditional religious observance has declined for decades in line with a trend across Europe.

Yet for Maria Ferez, 33, the huge attendance proved that "the Church is alive". "Treating other people with love must be at the core," she added.

Q.Najjar--SF-PST