(OSV News) ─ While the Easter season is a time of joy for Christians around the world, for many the current state of war engulfing the world has made it a more somber occasion than in past years.
Yet, as Pope Leo XIV joined thousands in St. Peter's Basilica to pray for peace April 11, tens of thousands of people ─ young and old ─ descended on Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles to join in that prayer in a festive atmosphere that sought to highlight that Christ's victory over death brings the light of hope in dark times.
The fourth annual "Feast of the Resurrection," which drew an estimated 85,000 people, according to Spanish police, is a massive public concert organized by the Catholic Association of Propagandists, known for the Spanish acronym ACdP, that celebrates Jesus' resurrection through contemporary music and culture.
While its name uses the term "propagandist" in the traditional religious sense of propagating or spreading the faith, the association, which was founded in 1908 by Jesuit Father Ángel Ayala, functions as a modern nonprofit dedicated to promoting Christian humanism in the public square.
Several popular local and international artists headlined the concert, including Spanish DJ Pulpo; Liz Mitchell, one of the prominent singers of the '70s disco and reggae band Boney M., whose song "Rasputin" has regained prominence via social media; the famed rumba flamenco group Gipsy Kings; and Hakuna Group Music, a Catholic music ministry collective specializing in contemporary worship songs designed to engage younger generations.
Yet, amid the festive songs, impromptu dancing and joyous atmosphere, the thoughts of those present were not far from their fellow Christians who are suffering. Hopes that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran would lead to a permanent solution were dashed the day after the concert when negotiations ended without a deal.
Nevertheless, the hope for peace was not lost for those present.
Taking the stage to greet the crowd was Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid, who began by reading a message from Pope Leo sent to those gathered.
Praising the concert's emphasis on the Resurrection, the pope said it was "good and necessary that Easter also find a language of music, of encounter, and of shared joy."
"Faith in the Risen One gives meaning to human joy; it purifies it, elevates it, and brings it to fullness. But precisely for this reason, Easter asks something greater of us than a passing emotion; it invites us to let ourselves be reached by the Resurrection, so that our life too may begin anew," he wrote.
Pope Leo said there was a need in the world "for young people who are not ashamed of the Gospel," and that evangelization was "not born primarily from strategies, but from hearts transformed by the Risen Lord."
"How I would like there to be a celebration throughout the whole world! How I would like Easter joy to find voices, faces, and songs everywhere! But more than that: how I would like the very existence of Christians to become a concert, a great harmony of faith, of unity, of communion, and of charity, capable of proclaiming to the world that Christ lives!" the pope said.
Pope Leo, who will be visiting Spain in June, seemingly confirmed that he would stop at Plaza de Cibeles during his apostolic visit.
"While the moment arrives for us to meet in Cibeles, I ask you: do not let the present pass you by; pray, seek Christ sincerely; do not settle for the minimum, because life -- with Christ -- is worth it. I pray for you, I bless you, and I await you. God willing, we will see each other in June," he wrote.
Cardinal Cobo said the concert was happening at a moment "when all of Christendom, also led by Pope Leo, prays for peace."
"We too, with the joy of the Resurrection, pray for peace, knowing that peace must be prayed for, asked for, and that it requires our commitment and our work," the Spanish cardinal said.
"Peace begins when we dare, as Jesus tells us in the resurrection, to always recognize the other as a brother or sister," he added. "When that encounter is broken -- when the other becomes an idea or an enemy and loses their human face -- that is where all war begins, in that selfishness."
The cardinal then led the thousands gathered in a moment of silent prayer, urging them to "raise together a prayer for peace, uniting ourselves with the Holy Father, uniting ourselves with Rome and with so many places that are suffering injustice, war, violence, and the death of so many innocent people."
For the famed Gipsy Kings, who hail from France and are known for popular hits like "Bamboleo" and "Volare" that have topped the charts globally, the invitation to play at a concert in honor of Christ's resurrection was an easy choice.
At a press conference on the eve of the concert April 10, founding member André Reyes told journalists that for them as a Catholics, the "word of God is truly important and we carry it in our hearts."
His cousin, Mario, said he was honored to play at the concert, noting that all the members are "believers" and that "thanks to God, we live a clean life, we don't drink alcohol or do anything bad because God has saved us and purified us."
He also said that while the group has played for and met with dignitaries and presidents, his greatest memory was meeting St. John Paul II.
"I still have photos and it was a unique experience because he spoke many languages. And the pope told me, 'Que Dieu te bénisse' ('May God bless you') in French. It was incredible that he spoke French," he recalled.
When asked what the band's hope for the concert was, Mario said they simply wanted to "transmit the love of God to the people," especially at a time of uncertainty in the world due to the conflict in the Middle East.
"It is important that we all pray. In the world, we must all pray for peace," he said.
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Junno Arocho Esteves is an international correspondent for OSV News. Follow him on X @jae_journalist.
