While tens of thousands of people take part in the events surrounding the Pope’s visit to Madrid, one of the most striking images is not found on the stages, along the official routes, or inside the churches set aside for the celebrations. It is on the sidewalks, in the squares, and beside the barriers that mark off the gathering areas. There, several Spanish priests have chosen to put on their purple stoles and offer the sacrament of confession to anyone who wishes to approach.
The scene caught the attention of many attendees. Without confessionals available, without organized structures, and outside the official program, these priests listen for long minutes to the faithful who, amid the day’s bustle, find a moment of silence and reconciliation.
Unlike other large international Catholic gatherings, no confessionals were set up on this occasion to attend to the pilgrims. Extraordinary opening hours were arranged in some parishes near the celebration sites—information collected and shared by Confesion.info—but the offer was necessarily limited given the massive influx of people.
Faced with that situation, the priests themselves decide to go out to meet the faithful. A purple stole over their shoulders is enough to turn any corner of the city into an improvised confessional. In some cases, confessions take place beside a building façade; in others, just a few meters from the areas where thousands gather to follow the papal events.
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