"Massive open events" and 8,000 communions: the Pope's visit will cost 15 million euros

BarcelonaFirst unknowns of the Pope's visit to the State revealed. Leo XIV will visit Spain from June 6 to 12 and will stop in four cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife. However, as the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) has acknowledged, details of the pontiff's visit agenda to each city will still have to wait a few weeks. "By tradition, the Holy See communicates the Pope's agenda when there is one month left for the events. There are many things that have been published that we can neither confirm nor deny. We ask for patience," justified Yago de la Cierva, one of the coordinators of the Pope's visit to the State, this Tuesday. He did so at a CEE press conference where some of the keys to this visit were announced, such as that it will cost around 15 million euros and will include events open to all citizens.

The motto of this long-awaited trip – it has been 16 years since a pope last visited Barcelona – will be "Lift up your eyes." As explained by the director of the CEE's press office, José Gabriel Vera, the motto is "a call from the Lord to move forward and a call to Spanish society to move beyond daily concerns and to go further with the contemplation of God, the openness of life to others, and charity." He also linked the visit's motto with "the idiosyncrasy of the cities the Pontiff will visit." In this way, according to the Holy See, Madrid represents unity, Barcelona beauty, and the Canary Islands charity.

Regarding the events, another of the visit's coordinators, Fernando Giménez Barriocanal, announced that the Pope's stay will include "massive open events" so that "anyone who wants to participate in the visit can do so." For these open events, a system will be opened for registration by groups or individually, and once the data has been entered, a QR code will be received detailing how to participate.

In this regard, the CEE asks the faithful to start organizing themselves for that week: "We ask everyone to organize themselves, because it will be a unique opportunity to see the Holy Father on his first major trip to Europe," Giménez Barriocanal insisted. "It will not be like concerts, there is no need to sign up first, everyone who wants to can participate in the visit – he said –. Even those who do not register, because the events will take place in open spaces." Nevertheless, he insisted that "registration will be free and no mandatory contribution will be requested."

Although there is not yet an official public agenda of the events that will make up the visit of Leo XIV, the CEE has explained that a website (Conelpapa.es) has already been launched where the calendar of activities to be held in each city will be updated. For example, in the case of Barcelona, for the moment it only appears that the Pope will be there on June 9 and 10, and a message from Cardinal Joan Josep Omella is attached: "What joy that the successor of Saint Peter will come to accompany us on June 10 on the occasion of the centenary of the death of the venerable Antoni Gaudí and the blessing of the tower of Jesus Christ," says the Archbishop of Barcelona.

50 giant screens and 6,000 healthcare workers

Although the CEE has assured that "it is not yet known" the exact cost of the Pope's week-long visit to the State, Giménez Barriocanal has put some data on the table. The Episcopal Conference calculates that the visit will cost 15 million euros, but they also calculate that it will have "an economic impact of over 100 million euros". Among the expenses for the visit will be the installation of 50 giant screens to follow the events and the Pontiff's speeches, "tens of kilometers of fencing" and the production of up to 8,000 "coupons" to distribute communion in the liturgical celebrations that will be held that week. Furthermore, it is estimated that 6,000 healthcare workers will be hired and approximately 5,000 volunteers will assist.

To face the millionaire investment that the Pope's visit will entail, the CEE has opened a website to receive donations. "The faithful can collaborate and they will be encouraged to do so. Apart from a possible collection, a space has been opened to finance the visit with small contributions of 5, 10, or 50 euros, although larger ones will also be accepted," explained Giménez Barriocanal, who also valued that the various autonomous communities "are providing public resources," such as facilities to make the event "an explosion of the holy spirit in Spain".