The general audience on Wednesday in St. Peter's Square in Rome was the setting where Pope Leo XIV received the Andalusian delegation. The meeting, though brief, was significant for the town of Grazalema, which wished to express its gratitude to the pontiff.
During the visit, the mayor from Cádiz, Carlos Javier García, conveyed to the Pope the appreciation of his town for the words of encouragement he dedicated to Grazalema during the Angelus on February 8. These words came after the population had to be evacuated and relocated to Ronda due to intense rainfall and the risk of an earthquake.
“"It was spiritual nourishment to hear the Pope pronounce the name of our town after a truly complicated, very difficult, and frightening episode."
As a gesture of affection and closeness, the delegation presented the Holy Father with a blanket embroidered with the inscription 'Leo XIV. Grazalema'. For her part, the mayor of Ronda, María de la Paz Fernández, gifted the Pope a painting of the blessed Diego José de Cádiz, originally from Ubrique, praying before the Virgin of Peace, patroness of Ronda, on the occasion of the 225th anniversary of his death.
“"This visit was to thank the pontiff for that moment, those words of encouragement, and above all, that helping hand extended to those who help others."
Pope Leo XIV had expressed his closeness to the Spanish populations affected by floods and landslides on February 8, specifically mentioning Grazalema. From the balcony of St. Peter's Square, at the end of the Sunday Angelus, the pontiff encouraged communities to remain united and supportive under the protection of the Virgin Mary.
