Hundreds of thousands turn out for Pope Leo's visit to Spain

Pope Leo XIV arrives in Spain for a weeklong visit. Leo is keen to highlight the long tradition of Catholic devotion in the country and to encourage especially the young generations to find their faith.

Cheering crowds line the streets of Madrid as Pope Leo XIV waves to them from the popemobile.

The Pope then enters a garden area to greet a group of people some of who are disabled and looked after by a Catholic organisation.

Thousands attended a youth vigil later Saturday. Pope Leo invites Spaniards to "choose examples of a good life," as he addresses huge crowds at a moment of political turmoil for the Socialist-led government and a credibility crisis for the Catholic Church.

The American pontiff travelled to Spain dozens of times as a priest, but this is the first visit here by a pope in 15 years.

In Plaza de Lima, central Madrid, hundreds of thousands of young people gather for a rocking, dancing prayer-filled event with Pope Leo at the end of his first day in Spain.

An estimated 500,000 people, many of them young, gave the pope a rock star welcome cheering "this is the youth of the pope."Leo's visit signals a return of papal attention to Europe's Christian roots after Pope Francis largely stayed away from the traditional centres of Christianity in favour of smaller Catholic communities farther away. Church leaders and some experts see the success

of youth movements and the surge in adult baptisms as signs that some young people are showing

new interest in the church, while also challenging it to embrace a more inclusive message.