Barcelona was at the centre of events on Wednesday as Pope Leo XIV blessed the newly completed Jesus Christ Tower at the Sagrada Família. The ceremony marked a major moment for the city and for Gaudí’s basilica, which is still under construction more than a century after work began.
The Pope arrived by papamobile through the Eixample district, passing along Passeig de Gràcia, Diagonal Avenue, Rosselló Street and Sardenya Street on the way to the basilica. Thousands of people lined the route, waving Vatican flags, applauding and chanting as he passed. For more on the neighbourhood, see our Community coverage.
Several senior figures attended the event, including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Catalan President Salvador Illa and Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia also joined the ceremony. A notable moment came when Valentina, a 13-year-old blind girl, described the tower to Pope Leo XIV using a tactile model made with ONCE and the Sagrada Família.
The Pope later went down into Gaudí’s crypt, the first part of the basilica to be built in 1882, where he prayed and lit a candle at Antoni Gaudí’s tomb with Cardinal Joan Josep Omella. A mass then followed, with about 8,000 people inside and outside the basilica, plus 500 adult singers and 100 children from choirs across Catalonia. The music combined Gregorian chant, liturgical pieces and traditional Catalan choral works.
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV called the Sagrada Família a “sign of unity and concord”. He said Barcelona and Catalonia gather there to “look up to God”, and he spoke about peace and Christian coherence. Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, thanked the Pope and said his visit, gestures and words were “a good seed sown in our hearts”.
At 21:30, the tower was illuminated above the Barcelona skyline. Standing 172.5 metres tall, it is the basilica’s highest structure and is topped by a large four-armed cross. The evening ended with children carrying lamps, a drone display showing Gaudí’s face and the words “First love, then technique”, fireworks, and a commemorative plaque for the Pope’s visit. The Torre Glòries also joined in, displaying “alza la mirada” in yellow letters. For more on the city’s sporting and public events scene, see our Sport page.
