"De noche todos los gatos son pardos."
At night, all cats are grey — in darkness, appearances cease to matter and everyone is the same. The saying carries a double meaning in Madrid, where 'gato' is the traditional nickname for a native madrileño.
Good morning from Madrid on a historic Monday. Pope Leo XIV begins his third day in the capital with an address to the Spanish Congress of Deputies — the first papal speech before the Parliament. This afternoon he will present the Golden Rose to Our Lady of Almudena at the cathedral and close the day with an estimated 70,000 faithful at the Santiago Bernabéu. Meanwhile, Florentino Pérez begins a new term as Real Madrid president after winning yesterday's election with 65% of the vote, and José Mourinho is tipped to return as manager. The city remains under an extraordinary mobility operation as the Pope's motorcade crosses through central Madrid. Plan ahead, use public transport, and take in a day that will be written into the history books.
Pope Leo XIV made history this morning as the first pontiff to address the Spanish Congress of Deputies, speaking at 10:30 in the Carrera de San Jerónimo. In a 35-minute address, he called for a 'culture of encounter' over polarisation and urged legislators to prioritise the poor, migrants, and the marginalised. The speech was received with a standing ovation from most benches, though a handful of republican and pro-independence deputies declined to applaud. Following the Congress address, the Pope met with the Spanish Episcopal Conference at 11:30. At 18:00, he will arrive at the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena for a prayer and devotion to Our Lady of Almudena, where he will present a Golden Rose — a rare papal honour dating to the 11th century and bestowed on only four other Spanish Marian images. The day culminates at 19:00 with a meeting with the diocesan community at the Santiago Bernabéu, where the statue of the Virgen de la Almudena will be carried in procession before an expected audience of 70,000.
Florentino Pérez has been re-elected president of Real Madrid with 65% of the vote in yesterday's election, securing 21,741 votes against challenger Enrique Riquelme's 11,814. Turnout among the club's 93,000 eligible socios was robust, with postal ballots playing a significant role. In his victory speech at Valdebebas, Pérez declared: 'We are proud to welcome back one of the best coaches in the world, a true Madridista — José Mourinho.' The Portuguese manager, who previously led the club from 2010 to 2013, is expected to leave Benfica to take the helm. Pérez, who noted this was the second-best result of his tenure after 2004, also signalled plans to pursue Ibrahima Konaté and Achraf Hakimi as priority signings. The re-election ensures continuity at the helm of the club as it navigates the post-Kroos era from a position of both institutional and financial strength.
Madrid faces another day of significant mobility disruption as Pope Leo XIV's motorcade crosses the city for four major engagements. The morning itinerary takes the papal convoy from the Nunciatura to the Congress of Deputies (10:30) and the Episcopal Conference (11:30). The afternoon route from the Nunciatura to the Almudena Cathedral (18:00) runs along the Glorieta de Pirámides, Puerta de Toledo, Gran Vía de San Francisco and calle Bailén. The final leg to the Santiago Bernabéu (19:00) passes through Bailén, Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Carrera de San Jerónimo, Plaza de las Cortes, Cánovas del Castillo, Felipe IV, Alfonso XII, Plaza de la Independencia, Alcalá, Príncipe de Vergara, Concha Espina and the Plaza de los Sagrados Corazones. Streets along the route close approximately one hour before the Pope's passage. EMT bus lines 3, 148 and M3 are affected for the cathedral event, while lines 5, 14, 27, 40, 43, 120, 126, 147, 150 and S10 are diverted for the Bernabéu meeting. All municipal buses and 30-minute BiciMAD rides remain free through June 9.
When Pope Leo XIV presents the Golden Rose at the Cathedral of the Almudena this afternoon, he will honour a devotion that reaches back to the very foundation of Madrid. According to tradition, the original image of Our Lady of Almudena was brought to Spain by the Apostle James in the year AD 38, carved by Nicodemus from cedar and juniper and painted by Saint Luke himself. When the Moors conquered the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century, Christians sealed the statue into the city wall — the 'almudena,' from the Arabic al-mudayna. There it remained, two candles burning before it, for more than three centuries. King Alfonso VI of Castile reconquered Madrid in 1083, and according to legend, as the king and townspeople processed around the walls praying, the stones fell away to reveal the image, still illuminated by those same candles. The original was eventually lost; a 16th-century copy now holds pride of place in the cathedral. The Golden Rose, a tradition instituted by Pope Leo IX in 1049, is reserved for Marian images of extraordinary devotion. Presented only three times before to Spanish images — including the Virgin of Charity of Cobre in Cuba — this honour places the Virgen de la Almudena in an exclusive tradition within the universal Church.