Booksellers and publishers show “concern but relative” about the Pope’s visit at the start of the Book Fair

Booksellers and publishers present in the Madrid Book Fair have shown “relative concern” at the start of the meeting about the visit of Pope Leo XIV in the second weekend of the LWF.

“Concern but relative”explained the writer and bookseller Marina Sanmartinresponsible for the Cervantes Bookstorein statements to Europa Press. His bookstore has been one of the first that the Queen Letizia at the inauguration of the appointment.

For its part, the director of the Fair, Eva Orúereiterated his words from a few weeks ago, explaining that the visit of the Pontiff “obviously” it is going to “affect”.

“It is evident that it is going to affect us, in a way that bringing 1 million or 1.5 million people could not. We have not changed the programming, we have not changed anything about that day 7 (June) because we trust that even if it is a little more difficult to get there, we will get there. What we are already doing is a call to exhibitors, participants in activities and the public to leave home a little earlier and even if they arrive later, to not stop coming,” explained Orúe.

Although from the Federation of Editors’ Guilds of Spain (FGEE) its president, Manuel González Moreno, has considered that the visit of the Holy Father “It’s not going to influence that much” to the Book Fair, the president of Libreros de Madrid, Luis M. Tigerashas shown its “uncertainty.”

“The uncertainty of Sunday the 7th with the Pope’s visit… We don’t know exactly if it will affect access and public influx, especiallyunderstanding that Sunday is a signing day, it is a day where families dare to come in the morning. It can be a bit key for those days, not only Sunday but Saturday, when talking about figures,” Tigeras pointed out.

“A GREAT PLAN”: THE POPE’S MASS AND THEN BOOK FAIR

While Almeida as Orúe have encouraged those attending go to the Corpus mass which Leo XIV will celebrate on Sunday, June 7, and go to the literary quote afterTigeras has been more cautious.

“There are sufficient mechanisms so that they can approach -within an agglomeration that is estimated at 1.5 million people who are going to be here next to the Book Fair-. Therefore we must also take advantage so that many of these people can enjoy themselves after mass, because It’s a great plan to go to the Pope’s mass, but then come to the Book Fair herein the Retiro Park,” said the mayor of the capital.

Sanmartín and Orúe have also expressed themselves in these terms, adding that everyone present at the mass will find “appropriate reading” in “all” booths of the Retreat.

“If they all come we might die, but I hope, I hope. You will also find appropriate reading in all the booths, but there is also a good representation of publishers and bookstores in the religious fieldso they are sure to find the book they want,” he assured.

However, Tigeras wanted to be “cautious” and indicated that Such “amount of people and influx” can cause booksellers to not serve them “as they deserve.” “Culturally, I invite everyone, not only those who are at mass, but every visitor or every lover of reading, to always stop by the Fair. What we don’t know is if we are going to be able to serve them as they deserve due to the number of people and the influx that can occur at those hours, not even they themselves can know,” he stated.

The person in charge of the Cervantes bookstore has responded to the mayor of Madrid: “Let’s see if they listen to him, I join the mayor’s call. Let everyone come and buy a book. Mass and then fair, great Sunday plan“.

CLOSING OF DOORS AND STOPS OF THE RETIRO AND PRINCE DE VERGARA METRO

Although Almeida has assured that the “best” way to get to the Fair on the weekend of June 6 is by metrosubsequently the director of the event explained to Europa Press that there will be closures at the Retiro and Príncipe de Vergara stops during the Sunday June 7.

“Right now what we know is the information that the City Council and the Community have made public related to public transportation. That is, the suspension or change of some bus lines and the fact that basically line 2 – the red metro line – although the trains will run, it will not stop in this entire area of ​​Retiro“Orúe detailed.

On the other hand, Sanmartín has specified that the organization of the Fair has announced that They will close some of the access doors to the Retiro -Tigeras has indicated that these are those of the Puerta de Alcalá, Independencia and some of Alfonso XII-.

“We have to know which ones are going to be open to be able to enter. It is nothing secret or mysterious. In a lot of places there is the report on which doors are closed and which remain openat least until the mass ends,” added Sanmartín.