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Please welcome the following new members of the Vatican Philatelic Society: We wish them many years of happiness and philatelic fulfillment as members of VPS.  Travels of Pope John Paul II: Spain--1993 Scott 965 (1994) On Saturday morning, Pope Leo XIV embarked on the fourth foreign apostolic voyage of his papacy to visit the western European country of Spain. The week-long trip will include stops in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. Following his departure from Rome/Fiumicino International Airport Saturday morning, Pope Leo arrived in Madrid and was officially welcomed by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid/Barajas International Airport. He was then whisked to the Royal Palace for a visit with the King and Queen and their two daughters. On Saturday evening, the pope visited the Cedia 24 Horas Social Project, a Cáritas Madrid facility that provides care to the homeless. He capped off the day with a prayer vigil with young people at the Plaza de Lima. Sunday featured Pope Leo celebrating an outdoor Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi at the Plaza de Cibeles, the symbolic center of the city of Madrid. The event was attended by an estimated one million people, and included the traditional Eucharistic Corpus Christi Procession through the streets following the Mass. The pope will depart Madrid on Tuesday and proceed to Barcelona. The highlight of the trip will take place on Wednesday evening, when the pope will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Sagrada Família, and will inaugurate the Basilica's recently-completed Tower of Jesus Christ, an event occurring more than 140 years since the start of construction on the Basilica in 1882. Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to leave Barcelona on Thursday morning for the Canary Islands, with his return to Rome planned for Friday, June 12. |
