Overview
- The cross was installed in Plaza de Lima for Pope León XIV’s visit and served as the focal point for a large youth vigil that organizers reported drew roughly 500,000 people.
- The mayor confirmed the cross is a gift from the Diócesis de Madrid and that the city intends it to be a permanent testimony to the visit and to Madrid’s Christian roots.
- City engineers are assessing technical and logistical feasibility for keeping the cross in Plaza de Lima and will identify a different permanent location if the plaza proves unsuitable.
- At a formal reception in the Palacio de Cibeles the Ayuntamiento publicly thanked public workers and private companies that helped organize the papal visit.
- The Consistorio plans broader street-level commemorations to materialize the memory of this visit and to create tributes for previous popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II.