Pope Benedict pointed to the economy solely driven by profit as the cause of Europe's economic woes.Pope speaks to reporters on the plane before arriving in Madrid on Thursday to attend a Catholic youth festival that lasted for four days.
He said the economy should be guided by ethics and serve the public interest, rather than based on "profit maximization."
Pope Benedict's visit to Spain is the third since becoming pope, and came as the country's unemployment rate has jumped to 21 percent. The crisis has hit the youth employment in particular Spain, and the pope urged the crowd of young people who greeted him at the airport to defend their faith.
The pope also greeted by King Juan Carlos and other high officials. Pope Benedict will meet with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose government has promoted a policy opposed by the church, including the loosening of divorce laws of Spain, to reduce restrictions on abortion, the legalization of same-sex marriage and allowed gay couples to adopt children.
The main events include the World Youth Day mass confessional meditation and prayer on Saturday and Sunday morning Mass with the Pope.
More than one million Catholic youth from around the world are expected to follow the event in Spain with the Pope
