Photo: Vatican Media

(ANS – Barcelona) – Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Visit to Spain continues. After arriving in Barcelona, he immediately began a packed schedule of events. The Pontiff, the third pope to visit the Iberian nation, concluded the day on June 10 with a celebration at the Sagrada Família—held on the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudí’s death—and the symbolic inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ.

Before arriving at the Sagrada Família, Pope Leo XIV visited Brians 1 Prison and prayed the Rosary at the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, a Benedictine monastic complex located about 31 miles (50 kilometers) from Barcelona. The abbey houses the statue of the Virgin of Montserrat, also known as La Moreneta, who was proclaimed Patroness of Catalonia in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. The Holy Father also met with representatives of diocesan charitable and social service organizations at the Church of Sant Agustí.

From there, the Pope traveled to the Sagrada Família, where, as Gaudí often said, “everything is providential.” Those words aptly describe the spirit of this monumental structure with its 18 towers—a visual catechesis expressing a faith embodied in stone, form, texture, color, light, and space.

During Mass, Pope Leo XIV once again called for peace and hospitality, emphasizing that believers cannot kill the innocent or “abandon those who suffer, those who weep, those who flee from misery.”

“We cannot believe in Jesus and wage war. We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent. We cannot believe in Jesus and abandon those who suffer, those who weep, those who flee from misery.”

Greeting King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, as well as civil and ecclesiastical authorities, the Pope noted that the basilica opens “its doors like wide-open arms to invite everyone to this altar, to listen to the Word of God, which makes us a family loved by the Lord and nourished by His very life in the Eucharist.”

In Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, the region looks to this temple as “a sign of unity and harmony,” where people encounter the face of God.

Following Mass, Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the Tower of Jesus, the new structure that makes the Sagrada Família the tallest church in the world, standing at 566 feet (172.5 meters). The achievement is not intended as a symbol of competition, but rather as a powerful spiritual reference point in a society increasingly marked by secularism.

The project was presented by Valentina, a blind girl whose participation became one of the most moving moments of the event. She described to the Pope her experience of “seeing” the tower by touching a model of it and sharing the sensations she felt as her hands traced its form.

The initiative was organized by ONCE (Organización Nacional de Ciegos de España), Spain’s leading organization serving people who are blind. Invited by the Queen to describe the architectural design, Valentina followed its contours upward, explaining its details and highlighting Gaudí’s inspirational motifs.

After the Mass, the procession of concelebrants moved toward the exterior gallery via the staircase of the Nativity Façade, which faces east toward the rising sun. From that vantage point—symbolizing the joy of life—participants witnessed a remarkable spectacle.

Approximately 120,000 people followed the event from surrounding areas and along the route through giant screens, while 9,000 faithful attended the Mass both inside and outside the basilica. Standing on a platform before the tribune and in the presence of principal authorities, the Pope officially blessed the tower. Within the cross atop the structure hangs the Agnus Dei, a work by Italian sculptor Andrea Mastrovito.

From Barcelona, the Holy Father will travel to the Canary Islands, the final stage of his apostolic journey. This stop was strongly desired by Pope Leo XIV, who wishes to express his closeness to the people of the islands. Once known primarily as a tourist destination, the Canary Islands have, over the past five years, become the setting of migration tragedies as thousands of people have arrived via the infamous Atlantic Route.