"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 recognized by the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), details of the pontiff's agenda in 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 until the events. There are many things that have been published that we can neither confirm nor deny. We ask for patience," justified this Tuesday Yago de la Cierva, one of the coordinators of the Pope's visit to the State. 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 motto of the visit with "the idiosyncrasies 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 feature "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 sense, the CEE asks the faithful to start organizing themselves for that week: "We ask everyone to organize, because it will be a unique opportunity to see the Holy Father on his first major trip to Europe," insisted Giménez Barriocanal. "It will not be like concerts, you don't have 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 be held in open spaces." Nevertheless, he insisted that "registration will be free and no mandatory contribution will be requested.

Although there is no official public agenda yet for 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 a joy that the successor of Saint Peter comes 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 professionals

Although the CEE has assured that the exact cost of the Pope's week-long visit to the State "is not yet known," Giménez Barriocanal has put some figures 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 exceeding 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 barriers," and the production of up to 8,000 "coupons" to distribute communion during the liturgical celebrations that will take place that week. In addition, it is estimated that 6,000 healthcare professionals will be hired and approximately 5,000 volunteers will be on hand.

To cope with the million-dollar investment that the Pope's visit will entail, the CEE has launched a website to accept donations. "The faithful can contribute and 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 noted that the various autonomous communities "are providing public resources," such as the facilities to make the event "an explosion of the holy spirit in Spain."