(ANS – Barcelona) – Pope Leo XIV spent the second and longest stage of his apostolic journey in Spain in Barcelona, a city with deep ties to Don Bosco. The Pope’s messages and pastoral gestures left a profound impression on the faithful gathered there, just as Don Bosco’s visit to the Catalan city more than a century ago bore lasting fruit.

With the insight of Fr. Joan Lluís Playà, Delegate of the Rector Major for the Salesian Family and a native of Barcelona, we can revisit some of the key moments of this Catalan leg of the papal journey through a Salesian perspective.

On June 10, from the central balcony of the façade of the Abbey of Montserrat, one of Catalonia’s most important spiritual landmarks, Pope Leo XIV delivered a message of unity. Before thousands of faithful gathered below, he urged them to live “all united as one family,” a theme that became one of the defining messages of his visit to this autonomous region of Spain.

Likewise, during the Mass he celebrated on the centennial of Antoni Gaudí’s death at his masterpiece, the Sagrada Família, Pope Leo XIV once again appealed to the hearts of Christians, calling for peace and hospitality. He emphasized that believers cannot kill the innocent or “abandon those who suffer, those who weep, those fleeing poverty.”

In a special way, Don Bosco was also present at both of these Christian landmarks from which the Pope proclaimed his messages of unity and fraternity.

As Fr. Playà explained:

“The promoters of these works wanted them to include saints who were born in Barcelona or who had a direct connection with the city. And Don Bosco is certainly one of them.”

The Saint of Youth visited Barcelona in 1886, during the final years of his life. Even then, he inspired tremendous enthusiasm and devotion, attracting widespread attention to the Lord’s work. During that visit, he received a donation of land on Mount Tibidabo, where the great Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was later built. The church still stands today as a continuation of the work he had dedicated himself to in Rome during the final years of his life.

Upon receiving the unexpected gift of land in Barcelona, Don Bosco remarked:

“Now that the Church of the Sacred Heart in Rome is almost complete, we must consider how to promote devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus even more. An inner voice assured me that I would find the means to fulfill my desire. This voice kept repeating to me: Tibidabo, tibidabo (‘I will give, I will give’ in Latin)” (Memorie Biografiche, XVIII, 114).

Reflecting on the statues of Don Bosco found at both sites, Fr. Playà added:

“In the case of the Abbey of Montserrat, the image of Don Bosco, accompanied by two children, stands directly in front of the basilica, as if establishing a dialogue with the abbey and with Our Lady of Montserrat, who is venerated there.

“In the case of the Sagrada Família, it was Antoni Gaudí himself who, from the beginning of construction, wanted the presence of saints as living symbols of virtue and examples for the world, so that their contemplation would foster remembrance and inspire imitation.”

The presence of Don Bosco within the Sagrada Família also creates a natural connection with the Salesian Temple of the Sacred Heart on Tibidabo.

Concluding his reflection, Fr. Playà observed:

“Just as the tower of the Sagrada Família is the highest point among the city’s buildings, so Tibidabo, crowned by the Sacred Heart, is the highest point of the mountain overlooking the city.

“And Don Bosco, always depicted with young people by his side, invited us to ‘Raise Our Eyes’—the motto of this apostolic journey—in order to renew our faith, strengthen our hope, and practice charity.”