In an opinion piece published by Costa Rica’s La Nación, a columnist reflected on the extraordinary scenes during Pope León XIV’s visit to Spain — a trip that appeared to refute widespread assumptions about the death of Catholicism in the country. Enormous crowds gathered for the pontiff’s appearances, prompting the writer to invoke Plato’s allegory of the cave: Spanish society, the author suggested, had been staring at shadows on a wall and had forgotten “that the sun exists.” The visit underscored the enduring cultural weight of Catholicism in ostensibly secular Western Europe.
Walter Murrow
June 29, 2026
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