Barcelona was the focus on Tuesday, 9 June, as Pope Leo XIV arrived at Barcelona-El Prat Airport at 12:45 on an Iberia flight. He was met by senior Catalan and Spanish officials on the tarmac.
At 13:01, the official reception included Salvador Illa, president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and Arcadi España, Spain's Minister of Finance, who represented the national government. Josep Rull, president of the Catalan Parliament, and Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona, were also present.
Other figures at the airport included Carlos Prieto, the Government Delegate in Catalonia, Lieutenant General Raimundo Rodríguez, Inspector General of the Army, and Lluïsa Moret, president of the Diputació de Barcelona. Church leaders present included Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona Juan José Omella and Bishop Xabier Gómez of the Sant Feliu de Llobregat diocese. Eva Valenzuela, director of Barcelona Airport, also joined the welcome.
President Illa accompanied the Pope along a red carpet from the aircraft to a waiting vehicle. A closed car then took Pope Leo XIV, whose birth name is Robert Prevost, to Barcelona Cathedral in the Gothic Quarter.
The airport reception followed standard protocol for a high-ranking visitor and marked the start of the pontiff's engagements in the city. For more Barcelona coverage, see our Community and Sport pages.
Originally published by Europa Press Barcelona. Read original article.
