Today I wish to speak briefly about my apostolic journey to Spain last Saturday and Sunday, whose theme was “You Will Be My Witnesses.”

I thank the Lord for letting me visit this noble and beloved nation for the fifth time, and I wish to express once again my warmest gratitude to the cardinal archbishop of Madrid, to the bishops and the entire Church in Spain, to their majesties the king and queen, as well as to the head of the government and to the other civil authorities, who welcomed me with such kindness and affection.

From the moment I arrived, I had the opportunity to express the esteem that the Successor of Peter has for that portion of the pilgrim people of God, who have dwelt for almost 2,000 years in the land of Iberia and have played a considerable role in the evangelization of Europe and the world. At the same time, I wanted to show my appreciation for the social progress that has been made in the country, asking that it always be based on those genuine and everlasting values that constitute the precious heritage of the entire European continent.

Two Special Moments

There were two memorable moments during this pastoral pilgrimage: the large meeting with the youth on Saturday afternoon and the Mass for the canonization of five saints on Sunday morning.

The vigil for youth that was held near the Cuatros Vientos Air Base in Madrid, which had the recitation of the rosary as its background, gave me an opportunity to reiterate in summary the message of my apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae and the Year of the Rosary that we are celebrating. I invited the youth to become men and women with an ever-stronger spiritual life by frequently contemplating Christ and his mysteries along with Mary. This is really the most efficacious antidote against the dangers of consumerism to which the men and women of our day are exposed. It is urgent that we oppose the lure of the passing values of this visible world that some of the media propose with the lasting values of the spiritual world that can be attained only by recollecting one's own spiritual life through meditation and prayer.

Moreover, I joyfully observed that young people increasingly know how to promote the New Evangelization among their peers and are ready to use their energy to serve Christ and his Kingdom. I entrusted the young people of Madrid and of all of Spain to the care of the Virgin Mary, since they are the hope and the future of the Church and of society in their country.

The following day the solemn Eucharistic celebration took place in Plaza de Colón in downtown Madrid. In the presence of the royal family, the bishops and the civil authorities of the country, and before a vast assembly that included representatives from all walks of life within the Church, I had the joy of proclaiming as saints five sons and daughters of Spain: Pedro Poveda Castroverde, a priest and martyr; José María Rubio y Peralta, a priest; and the religious sisters Genoveva Torres Morales, Angela de la Cruz and María Maravillas de Jesús.

Models of Holiness

These true disciples of Christ and witnesses of his resurrection are examples for Christians of the entire world. By drawing the strength they needed from prayer, they were able to carry out the work that the Lord entrusted to them in contemplative life, pastoral ministry, the field of education, an apostolate of spiritual exercises and caring for the poor. May these saints be an inspiration to believers and Church communities in Spain so that, in our days also, that land, so blessed by God, will continue to produce the abundant fruit of evangelical perfection.

In this regard, I exhorted Christians in Spain to remain faithful to the Gospel, to defend and promote family unity, and to constantly guard and renew the Catholic identity that is the nation's source of pride. It is by virtue of the everlasting values of its tradition that that noble country will be able to make its own contribution in an effective way to building a new Europe.

A Call to Witness

This fifth apostolic journey to Spain confirmed within me a deep conviction: The old nations of Europe retain a Christian soul that constitutes a single entity with the “genius” and the history of its respective peoples. Unfortunately, secularism is threatening its fundamental values, but the Church is determined to work constantly to keep the flame of this spiritual and cultural tradition burning.

Calling upon the greatness of the Spanish soul that has been formed according to solid human and Christian principles, I especially wanted to address these words of Christ to the youth: “Be my witnesses.” I repeat these words today, assuring the people and the Church in Spain — and all you who are present here today — of my prayers that are accompanied by a special blessing.