One in four police officers will protect the Pope on his passage through Catalonia

Barcelona"It is one of the largest police operations ever deployed in Catalonia". This is how the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, described on Thursday the deployment of Mossos d'Esquadra that will take place during the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Catalonia. Up to 5,600 officers of the Catalan police will be activated for this event. It is an almost unprecedented figure, as it means that 25% of the force's members will be active for the Pope's presence. In addition, this entire operation is joint with the National Police, the Guardia Civil, the royal household, the Vatican Police, and the Barcelona Urban Guard, which will have 500 agents available. In other words, there will be many police officers on the streets. "Catalonia is prepared", stated the Minister of Justice, Ramon Espadaler.

The Deputy Mayor for Security of the Barcelona City Council, Albert Batlle, admitted that it will be a "complex" operation. The Pope will pass by the Sagrada Família, El Raval, Brians prison, and Montserrat, but he will also take a route in the popemobile through the center of Barcelona. It will be a one-kilometer route that will take him to Antoni Gaudí's basilica. It will likely be one of the most delicate security moments, as between Còrsega and Rosselló streets, the popemobile will not have a cover and will travel at about 10 kilometers per hour. He will make this journey surrounded by security capsules with police vehicles and on-foot agents, at a "human" speed so that spectators on the street can see him well.

"We want to guarantee maximum security with minimal impact on citizens", stated Parlon. "We want to guarantee the city's functioning to the maximum", added the Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet. The Government and the City Council want the impact to be "minimal", but it will exist. For example, from 7 a.m. on Monday, June 8, until 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, there will be traffic and parking restrictions around the cathedral and the Episcopal Palace. In El Raval, the streets surrounding the church of Sant Agustí and Plaça Gardunya will suffer total traffic closures between June 9 and 10.

Closures in Eixample

L'Eixample will surely be the most affected district. On June 10 and 11, several street sections will be completely closed, such as Avinguda Diagonal from Plaça dels Cinc d'Oros to Bruc, and the streets Rosselló, Pau Claris, Roger de Llúria, Bruc, Girona, Bailèn, Passeig de Sant Joan, and Roger de Flor. The affectations will also reach the streets Nàpols, Sicília, Sardenya, Marina, Lepant, Provença, Mallorca, and València, always in the sections closest to Sagrada Família. Above all, these restrictions are caused by the papamobile's route. To follow the events, two screens will be installed at Glòries and Arc de Triomf.

Evidently, the traffic closures will also imply that many bus lines will be affected. "The metro will be the most efficient way to get around," said Laia Bonet. For this reason, the City Council has announced a reinforcement of lines these days. For example, on June 10, the day Sagrada Família will be the center of all attention, there will be increases of up to 65% in the supply of the metros closest to the basilica (L2 and L5). 150 more people than usual will also be mobilized. In some parts of the city, the restrictions will also reach Bicing, which will have some stations closed. Councilor Parlon has recommended that citizens plan their movements for those days well in advance.

Tedax and GEI

"The objective is to guarantee the correct development of the planned events, ensure that the residents of Barcelona can enjoy a good experience, and ensure that citizens have all mobility alternatives," insisted Albert Batlle at a press conference from the Palau de la Generalitat. Thus, specialized police units will be deployed, such as the Tedax, explosives specialists, or the GEI, the militarized unit of the Mossos d'Esquadra.

For certain events, such as the popemobile's route, the Mossos are already warning that a filtering of people will take place. In fact, in the main event areas, such as the Estadi de Montjuïc, the Cathedral, the Sagrada Família, the parish of Sant Agustí, Brians prison, Montserrat abbey, and the Episcopal Palace, there will be security perimeters where searches will be conducted on anyone approaching, and only authorized persons and residents will be able to access them. The view will also be from the air, as drones and helicopters will be deployed, and flying devices without authorization will also be closely monitored. The Pope's mobility will be carried out using security capsules, with total temporary traffic closures, pilot vehicles, closing devices, and several simultaneous convoys, such as those of the Royal House, the Spanish government, and foreign delegations.

All of this will be coordinated from a coordination center (Cecor) with the presence of all police forces. It will operate, according to Parlon, 24 hours a day. Protecció Civil de la Generalitat has already approved the six self-protection plans for all major events and will keep the Procicat plan on alert between June 9 and 11. There will be dozens of civil protection volunteers activated each day.