Pope Leo XIV will visit Barcelona in June for the centenary of Gaudí's death

The Pope will make an official visit to Barcelona and celebrate Mass to inaugurate the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Familia. As confirmed by the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) in a statement, Leo XIV will travel to Spain between June 6 and 12, "accepting the invitation of King Felipe VI and the Church to Spain." Fifteen years after the last papal visit to Spain, the Vatican has confirmed that Leo XIV will visit Barcelona, ​​Madrid, and the Canary Islands, specifically Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Although the dates of each trip have not yet been specified, both the CEE and the Catalan government (Generalitat) already consider it a given that the Pope will visit the Catalan capital on June 9 and 10. The reason for the Pope's visit to Barcelona will be the inauguration of "the new and tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia," which will coincide with the centenary of the death of "the brilliant architect who dreamed of the basilica and began its construction, Antoni Gaudí." In statements to Ràdio Estel, the Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​Cardinal Joan Josep Omella, expressed his satisfaction with Pope Leo XIV's visit to Barcelona. "It is a joy, and we thank the Pope for inaugurating the Tower of Jesus Christ, which is the largest of all churches in the world," he stated. The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, also described the Pope's visit this June as "great news" for the Christian community and Catalan society as a whole, and thanked Leo XIV for his "gesture" in wanting to participate in the events planned for the centenary of Gaudí's death. "We will receive him with open arms," ​​he affirmed, adding that the new pontiff represents "universal human values" such as solidarity. Two Masses

A few days ago, Isla already said in an interview on La 2 that it was "unofficially" "taken for granted" that the Pope would come. "They say it will be on June 9th and 10th, and I think it's a very important visit," he stated. At that time, Isla said that "in principle" there would be two masses, one of them at the Sagrada Familia for the completion of the Tower of Jesus. In January, Cardinal José Cobo, Archbishop of Madrid, had already indicated that they were working on the idea of ​​the Pope visiting Madrid and Barcelona and paying a visit to the Sagrada Familia. The Vatican has noted that Gaudí was declared Venerable Servant of God last year and that they "redesigned the skyline of the Catalan city."

The Spanish Church assumes that the Pope's visit will culminate at the Sagrada Familia.