Banderas values ​​Holy Week in Malaga before the Pope and vindicates art in the face of violence

The actor Antonio Banderas has praised Holy Week in Malaga before Pope Leo XIV, “a majestic ritual of art, culture and devotion.”

This was stated this Saturday by the Malaga interpreter during his speech at the meeting ‘Weaving Networks with the World of Culture, Art, Economy and Sports’ held at the Movistar Arena in Madrid.

Regarding Holy Week, the actor explained to the Pontiff that they are “popular demonstrations that take to the streets developing a majestic ritual of art, culture and devotion.”

“And it was there, Holy Father, in that framework of anonymous popular art, when at only four or five years of age, a question was born in me that only contained one word, God. Little by little I was finding answers, like the one I recognized in my mother’s eyes, while she fixed her gaze and her devoted heart on the Virgin of Hope who passed on her throne in front of us in those distant years,” he said emotionally.

He also recalled the voice “that broke the clear spring air” of the singers of Saetas, or among the “humble and good” people of Malaga who take to the streets every year.

“In every molecule, every drop of water, every sea, every rose petal, every heartbeat, every sigh. But art is not just beauty, art is a question, it is reflection, it is contrast, it is revolution, it is tension between what we know and what we intuit. Art has been and must continue to be the mirror that reflects lives that pass us by,” he stressed.

Furthermore, the actor has explained that his presence at the Movistar Arena is due to the musical ‘Gospel’, of which he is the producer. “Today I am here for Gospel. Gospel is a piece of musical theater created, composed and performed in its country of origin. You know very well that Gospel means the spell of God. I am here today, Holy Father, confessing to have been a victim of the spell of God.

Banderas has indicated that art also “is the voice of warning for societies that have become accustomed to injustice.” “Art must be an alternative to violence, all violence,” he claimed.

“THE ARTIST MUST ACT WITH BRAVERY”

Thus, he has defended that the artist “must act with courage and not abandon being a critical instance of society, of art itself and of religion itself.”

At this point, the artist has highlighted that, “in a world that runs, that fragments, that is sometimes oversimplified, art helps recover the depth and soul that is trying to be stolen by artificial intelligences that must be at the service of human beings and not the other way around.”

Banderas also thanked Leo XIV for his presence in Madrid: “It is not just a visit, it is a gesture, a gesture of listening, of closeness, of dialogue with civil society, and civil society is undoubtedly grateful.”

“Sometimes it is advisable to reinforce this dialogue using a common language. That language is, and has been on many occasions throughout history, art,” said the man from Malaga, highlighting that “the relationship between the Catholic Church and art has not only been fruitful, it has been a decisive effort.”