Francisco de Vitoria University is eagerly anticipating the arrival of Pope Leo XIV in Madrid. Over the next few days, the Office of Pastoral Care and Evangelization will guide you as you prepare your heart, join the pilgrimage, and experience this historic moment alongside the entire university community.
A vigil is a prayer service that takes place at sunset or during the night, bringing the community together around the Word of God, singing, and Eucharistic adoration. It is not merely a liturgical act: it is a time of inner preparation, silence, and encounter. In the Christian tradition, vigils have always preceded major moments of faith, from Easter to the feasts of the saints.
The vigil on Friday, June 5, that we held at UFV was the university community’s first major moment of prayer before the Pope’s arrival. The vigil on Saturday, June 6, in Lima Square, presided over by Leo XIV, was the central event of the visit for young people: the Pope will tour the area in the popemobile, and the event will culminate with Eucharistic adoration and his remarks.
Corpus Christi, from the Latin for “the Body of Christ,” is one of the most important feasts on the Catholic calendar. It celebrates the real and true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist: not as a symbol, but as a living reality. It originated in the 13th century following the visions of Saint Juliana of Liège and was extended to the entire Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264.
In 2026, it falls on Sunday, June 7. Pope Leo XIV will preside over the solemn Mass on Madrid’s Eje de la Castellana, with Plaza de Cibeles as the focal point, and will lead the Eucharistic procession through the surrounding streets.
Robert Francis Prevost was born in Chicago (Illinois, EE.UU.) in 1955 into a Catholic family with French, Italian, and Spanish roots. At age 22, he entered the Order of St. Augustine, and in 1982 he was ordained a priest in Rome, where he also earned a doctorate in canon law.
The most memorable years of his life were those he spent as a missionary in northern Peru (Chulucanas y Trujillo), working with the poorest people, even during the threats posed by Shining Path. From 2001 to 2013, he served as Prior General of the entire Augustinian Order worldwide. In 2014, he returned to Peru as Bishop of Chiclayo, and in 2023 he was created a cardinal, with responsibility for the Dicastery for Bishops.
On May 8, 2025, he was elected as Peter’s 267th successor: the first Augustinian pope in history and the first American to occupy the Chair of St. Peter. He chose the name Leo XIV in reference to Leo XIII, the pope of social doctrine, who now faces the challenge of artificial intelligence.
This is the official motto of Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to Spain, taken from the Gospel of John (Jn 4,35): “Look up and see the fields, which are already ripe for harvest.” Jesus speaks these words to his disciples to invite them to look beyond the immediate, to recognize God’s presence in the world, and to open themselves to the mission.
The Pope proposes this motto as a way of life: to step out of self-absorption and the worries that paralyze us, and to lift our eyes toward what truly matters. It is a call to active hope, to contemplation that inspires service, and to encountering others—especially the most vulnerable.