Called 2026: Movistar Arena turned into an unusual cathedral

The Movistar arena did not welcome any pop stars on the night of January 12, 2026, but the more than 6,000 people gathered there, most of them young people and families, were more than thrilled by a concert.

Calls 2026 premiered on the Madrid stage with an afternoon of worship, praise, testimonies and prayer rarely seen in Spain. 

Mercy prayer, praise and testimonies. This is the summary of Llamados 2026, an initiative of Alpha Spain, next to the parish Santo Domingo de la Calzada de Algete and the diocese of Alcalá de Henares, The Movistar Arena in downtown Madrid was packed to capacity.

A novel combination of prayer and worship, a path that seems to have settled in Spain as a privileged means of evangelization in an era marked by audiovisual language and the need for healing. 

More than 6000 people from different parts of Madrid, such as Algete or Villaverde, but also from Colombia, Miami and Italy, were able to enjoy the testimonies of René ZZ, María Lorenzo and Quique Mira and Casilda Finat. 

«Do not be afraid to talk about faith.”

Content creator René ZZ was in charge of opening the meeting with a short speech in which he shared with those present his conversion experience through a dream: “I dreamed that God loved me, and only that, the love of God”. 

René also stressed the importance of letting God mold us: ”When God gave me the gift of his love, I thought, “If God exists, he wants something from me. I have already tried for myself, now I am going to leave my will aside and allow his will to shape me. God works in a mysterious way, when you let his will be molded, you don't care about the rest”. And this, he concluded, “we cannot do it alone. You can be the light for many people. Do not be afraid to speak of faith.

 «There is an upsurge of the authentic Holy Spirit.»

After his words, Casilda Finat, María Lorenzo and Quique Mira de Aute, and René himself shared a conversation in which they shared their experiences as “Catholic influencers”.

Among other things, Mira, one of Aute's promoters, stressed that the “Catholic turn” or this return of young people to God “if it is something superficial, time will tell. A true faith is lived every day. I believe that there is a boom of the authentic Holy Spirit, but each one has to respond”. 

Looking ahead to 2033

Another highlight of the evening was the intervention of Nicky Gumbel, promoter of Alpha, a reality through which more than 30 million people in 175 countries and 100 languages have passed over the years.

Gumbel shared his dream that in 2033 “everyone will be able to make themselves heard of Jesus and made a strong call for Christian unity.

His intervention revolved around four considerations: a new vision, that of Christ, to be shared by all Christians; the motivation rooted in the love that God has for each of his children; the key of prayer and the immense potential of a “privileged” time: “The fields are ready for the harvest” encouraged the Anglican pastor who initiated Alpha, “there is a great interest of young people for Jesus”. 

Eucharistic Adoration

After the interventions and testimonies, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Mercy Prayer took place.

A few moments of impressive silence in a concert hall and in which several young people shared testimonies of healing to end with a Eucharistic procession inside the enclosure and the personal prayer of the thousands of attendees. 

The afternoon of prayer culminated with a farewell to the organizers and the recitation of an Our Father, which was joined by the thousands of attendees of this first Called 2026 meeting.