Thousands of protesters gathered in Madrid, Spain early Thursday to protest the cost of the Pope’s visit later today. As many as a million devotees made the trek to Madrid for the six-day World Youth Day festival, also wishing to see Pope Benedict XVI. The BBC reports that as many as 100 groups express disapproval at the Pope’s visit, including those against the government’s austerity drive and gay rights groups. “We are not angry about the Pope’s visit…but rather over the financing of it with public money, especially at a time when many services are being cut because it’s necessary to curb government spending,” one “indignant” movement said in a statement. Organizers of the Pope’s visit say his pilgrimage is self-funded.
