One in four mossos will protect the Pope on his way 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 this Thursday the deployment of Mossos d'Esquadra that will take place during the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Catalonia. Up to 5,600 agents of the Catalan police will be activated for this event. It is an almost unprecedented figure, as it means that 25% of the members of the force will be active for the Pope's presence. Furthermore, this entire operation is joint with the National Police, the Civil Guard, the Royal Household, the Vatican Police, and the Barcelona Urban Guard, which will have 500 agents available. That is to say, there will be many police officers in 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 through 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 towards 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 in 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 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 stretches of streets 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 impacts will also reach the streets Nàpols, Sicília, Sardenya, Marina, Lepant, Provença, Mallorca and València, always in the stretches closest to the Sagrada Família. Above all, these restrictions are caused by the pope mobile's route. To follow the events, two screens will be set up at Glòries and Arc de Triomf.

Obviously, the traffic closures will also mean 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 the lines on these days. For example, on June 10, the day when the 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 affect 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 such as the Tedax, specialists in explosives, or the GEI, the militarized unit of the Mossos d'Esquadra, will be deployed.

At certain events, such as the papamobile's route, the Mossos are already warning that a filtering of people will be carried out. The view will also be from the air, as drones and helicopters will be deployed, and those flying devices that do not have authorization will also be closely monitored.

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.