The Spanish Church assumes that the Pope's visit will culminate at the Sagrada Familia.
The Pope is also expected to visit Madrid and the Canary Islands in 2026.
RomePope Leo XIV will visit Barcelona in the coming months, or at least that is what the Spanish Church is already taking for granted. This was confirmed by Cardinal José Cobo, Archbishop of Madrid, after meeting this Friday morning at the Vatican with the number two official in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, Venezuelan Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra. Also present at the meeting were the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), Luis Argüello, the Archbishop of Barcelona, Joan Josep Omella, and the Archbishop of the Canary Islands, José Mazuelos. "Will there be a trip? Yes, at least that is the Pope's interest," the Madrid cardinal acknowledged in Rome. The Spanish bishops traveled to the Vatican to discuss the possibility of the Pope visiting Spain this year. The leadership of the CEE presented its proposal, which must now be studied and approved by the Holy See. Although the agenda is still being reviewed, the Spanish bishops assume the trip will culminate with the Pope's visit to the Sagrada Família in June. The Cardinal of Madrid explained that the initiative came directly from the Pope, who has spoken with each bishop, and now the Spanish episcopate awaits instructions from Leo XIV to set in motion the enormous organizational machinery and then extend official invitations to Spanish authorities. The Spanish archbishop confirmed that negotiations have also taken place with the Spanish government, although official invitations have not yet been sent. The city of Barcelona is thus emerging as a key location for the Pope's trip to Spain in the coming months, which would also include a visit by Leo XIV to Madrid and the Canary Islands. "Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands are the three proposed locations. It's a first draft that must be submitted to the Holy Father so he can then refine it with any notes he deems necessary," Cobo insisted to the media.
The Beatification of Gaudí
The presence of Leo XIV in Barcelona would be closely linked to the beatification process of the architect Antoni Gaudí, author of the Sagrada Familia basilica, a temple consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in November 2010. And that is why the main hypothesis is that the date on which the Pope will visit the Catalan capital is related to his death.
The trip to the Canary Islands, on the other hand, would respond to the desire expressed by his predecessor, Pope Francis, to visit the archipelago, which receives thousands of migrants from Africa every year. A desire that was thwarted after his death last April.
"The migratory phenomenon is an issue that Pope Leo also addressed at the beginning of his pontificate," the Archbishop of Madrid stated. "But we mustn't exhaust the Holy Father, because if we take him to Spain and tire him out too much, perhaps he won't want to return," joked the cardinal, who acknowledged that the pontiff has received "a thousand invitations" to visit the country from which various Spanish dioceses and religious entities originate. "Spain has long needed and continually requested a papal visit. I believe that at this moment, the opening of this door is a cause for joy and hope for everyone, both for the civil authorities and for the Church," Cobo added.
