Pope Leo landed in Barcelona on Tuesday. He will bless the new tower that has made the Sagrada Familia Basilica the tallest church in the world and conduct mass there.
On the fourth day of his trip to Spain, Leo XIV departed from Madrid, where he had celebrated an outdoor mass with 1.5 million people and delivered an unprecedented speech to parliament.
Leo praised the thousands of volunteers who helped with the massive logistical and security operations during his events in the capital, notably on Monday at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium, before leaving.
Later on Tuesday, he will lead a prayer vigil in the Olympic Stadium and visit Barcelona’s Gothic church.
Amidst strict security measures, eager worshippers gathered outside the cathedral hours in advance.
In Spain, a long-standing Catholic stronghold, religious adherence has been waning for decades, but Roberto Crespo thought the pope would receive a “very warm” reception in Barcelona.
The 44-year-old carpenter told AFP, “I think the people will show that there is more faith and more Catholicism than people generally think.”
The blessing of Sagrada Familia
Before the mass at the renowned Sagrada Familia on Wednesday, Leo is scheduled to meet inmates and tour an abbey on the Montserrat mountain, which is around 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the city. The church, an incomplete modernist masterpiece by renowned architect Antoni Gaudi, was struck by a tram in Barcelona while traveling to a church to pray. Gaudi is a devout Catholic whose petition for sainthood is progressing in the Vatican.
The pope will bless the soaring centerpiece, the Jesus Christ tower, which was finished in February, following the mass.
The tower raised the basilica to its highest point of 172.5 meters (566 feet), making the Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world.
It is anticipated that the Sagrada Familia will be finished in roughly ten years.
After that, on Thursday and Friday, the pope will visit the Canary Islands to meet migrants and volunteers who are assisting them, as well as to honor those who have lost their lives while attempting to reach the Atlantic archipelago.
AFP
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