Pope arrives Barcelona to bless world’s tallest church

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday, marking a significant moment as he is set to celebrate mass at the Sagrada Familia Basilica and bless its newly completed tower, which has elevated it to the status of the world's tallest church.

This visit to Spain is the fourth day of the Pope's 11-day apostolic journey. Before arriving in Barcelona, Pope Leo XIV delivered a notable speech to the Spanish parliament in Madrid and led an open-air mass attended by an estimated 1.5 million people. He also expressed gratitude to the numerous volunteers who supported the extensive logistical and security operations during his events in the capital.

In Barcelona, the Pope's itinerary includes a visit to the city's Gothic cathedral and a prayer vigil at the Olympic Stadium. Despite a general decline in religious observance in Spain, a traditional Catholic stronghold, local worshippers gathered outside the cathedral hours before his arrival, anticipating a warm reception. Roberto Crespo, a 44-year-old carpenter, expressed optimism, believing the Pope would experience "a very warm" welcome and that "people will show that there is more faith and more Catholicism than people generally think."

Wednesday's schedule for Pope Leo XIV includes meeting prisoners and visiting an abbey on Montserrat mountain before the main event at the Sagrada Familia. The mass is particularly poignant as it falls exactly 100 years after the death of the basilica's visionary architect, Antoni Gaudí, on June 10, 1926. Gaudí, a fervent Catholic, was struck by a tram in Barcelona while en route to pray at a church.

The blessing will be bestowed upon the Jesus Christ tower, the central and tallest element of the basilica, which reached its final height of 172.5 meters (566 feet) in February. The Sagrada Familia, an unfinished modernist masterpiece, attracts nearly five million visitors annually, with its full completion anticipated in approximately a decade. Following his Barcelona engagements, the Pope will travel to the Canary Islands to meet migrants and volunteers.

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I think the people will show that there is more faith and more Catholicism than people generally think.