MADRID — Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday urged young people to build their lives “on the firm foundation” of the Christian faith at the start of his visit to Spain, where he drew massive crowds despite the growing secularism.
Hundreds of thousands of believers attended a huge “welcome party” for the pope at Madrid’s centrally located Cibeles square. The 84-year-old German pontiff will be in Spain until Sunday on occasion of the Catholic World Youth Day celebrations.
Crowds cheered the pope, waved flags and threw confetti as he drove toward Cibeles in the popemobile. Benedict then made a symbolic entry on foot into Madrid through the 18th-century Alcala gate, in the company of 50 young people from five continents.
Almost 1 million pilgrims from about 190 countries have converged on the Spanish capital, according to government figures. At the Cibeles square, many people had been waiting for the pope since the morning despite the sweltering heat.
“I know I’m going to feel something strong,” said Stephanie, 18, from Peru. And when the pope finally arrived at the square, she did indeed burst to tears.
Protected from the sun by a large white umbrella, the pontiff was welcomed and given gifts by youths from all over the world, against the backdrop of a large image of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus.
In his address, Benedict stressed the importance of the faith as a solid foundation for life in contrast to those “who are content to follow fashionable ideas” and “take shelter in the here and now.”
“There are many who, creating their own gods, believe they need no roots or foundations other than themselves,” the pope said, warning that such “temptations” lead to “something so evanescent, like an existence with no horizons, a liberty without God.”
“This is incredible,” said Jean-Christophe, 26, from France. Ana Luisa from Brazil said the presence of “so many people from so many countries” allowed her to “see the strength of the church.”
On arrival at Madrid airport earlier in the day, the pope strongly criticized contemporary culture and expressed concern over unemployment, which exceeds 40 percent among Spanish young people.
Young Catholics saw “the prevailing superficiality, consumerism and hedonism, the widespread banalization of sexuality, the lack of solidarity, the corruption,” Benedict said.
On the plane to Spain, the pope criticized Europe’s role in the global crisis, stressing the need to observe ethics in economic policy and to protect the environment.
Dignitaries welcoming the pope at the airport included Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose Socialist government has been at odds with the Vatican over its social reforms such as gay marriage, easier access to abortion and speedier divorce.
Zapatero is seen as favoring a greater separation between the church and state, though his government refrained from presenting a law to that effect in an attempt to improve relations with the Vatican.
The pope’s visit was overshadowed by protests against it, which turned violent on Wednesday.
An estimated 5,000 people belonging to secularist, alternative Christian, leftist, feminist and other groups marched in central Madrid, demanding a full separation between church and state.
Police prevented them from clashing with pilgrims, but clashes later broke out between police and demonstrators. Eleven people were slightly injured and eight detained.
About 100 people protested against the arrests on Thursday. Police restricted their movements in central Madrid.
Opponents of the pope’s visit criticized the use of public money to cover a part of its cost, which is estimated at a minimum of $70 million.
A judge, meanwhile, released a Mexican chemistry student who was suspected of planning a gas attack against Wednesday’s demonstration.
Jose Alvano Perez Bautista, who said that his internet messages announcing such plans had been a joke, was freed on condition of reporting to police twice a day.
The pope’s visit to Madrid is his 21st trip abroad since he was elected pontiff in 2005, and his third to Spain. Benedict earlier visited Valencia in 2006 and Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona in November.
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