Antonio Banderas to join Pope Francis in Madrid to discuss faith and culture

Culture

Flamenco star Sara Baras, athlete Carolina Marín and singer Rozalén will also gather at the Palacio de los Deportes on June 7

Enrique Miranda

Málaga

Pope Leo XIV's upcoming visit to Spain this June will be a significant religious event, with great public interest. It will bring together some ... of the country’s most prominent figures from various fields, who will have the opportunity to speak with the Pontiff. Among them is Malaga born actor, director, and producer Antonio Banderas, who will represent the performing arts.

Banderas, who is no stranger to big stages, will have the task of speaking for just five minutes about the connection between faith and culture. “I admit I feel a certain amount of fear, perhaps because I worry I won’t be able to live up to what’s expected of me,” the actor said in an interview with the Catholic weekly "Alfa y Omega".

“In what I’ll say, I’ll try to share my truth in the five minutes I have to speak to the Pope. In a way, I can’t help but let my understanding of my relationship with religion and the spiritual come through,” explained the actor in the interview, who has close ties to the world of religious brotherhoods and Malaga’s Holy Week.

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Banderas will be one of the guest stars at the event titled “Building networks with the worlds of culture, education, business, and sports,” which Pope Leo XIV will preside over this coming Sunday, June 7, at the Movistar Arena in Madrid. The event will be hosted by journalists Carlos Franganillo and Lara Síscar and will also feature Rozalén, Sara Baras, and Carolina Marín, among others.

As revealed on Thursday by the Archdiocese of Madrid, the event will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm, as “a space for dialogue and reflection between the Church and various fundamental areas of social life: education, culture, business, and sports, all united by a commitment to the common good.”

World of music and sport

The educational community will be represented by José María Coello de Portugal, vice-rector of the Complutense University of Madrid. There will also be a historic meeting between the top representatives of the labor unions and the employers’ association, who will join forces to place the common good at the center of the economic and labor debate.

Participants in this session will include Pepe Álvarez (UGT), Unai Sordo (CC.OO.), Antonio Garamendi (CEOE), and Ángela de Miguel (CEPYME). They will each express their commitment to “forging strong, cross-sector alliances to jointly address the challenges of the future.”

The world of sports will also play a leading role with the presence of Carolina Marín and Teresa Perales. The Olympic badminton champion and the decorated Paralympic swimmer will share reflections on resilience, overcoming adversity, and the value of sports as a space for inclusion and hope.

The event will conclude with a performance by singer Rozalén, who will convey a deeply human message: “even in the search, even in uncertainty, there is hope.” With this celebration, Madrid seeks to renew its commitment to a culture of openness, dialogue, and hope.