The itinerary for Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic visit to Spain this June is becoming clearer, with organisers now considering a significant stop at the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. The potential visit to the iconic Benedictine monastery would form part of a packed two-day schedule in Catalonia, which also includes a large-scale mass in Montjuïc and a ceremony at the Sagrada Família.

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La Vanguardia reports the visit to Montserrat will likely take place on the morning of Tuesday, 9th June. While the Holy See has yet to confirm the final agenda, this addition would be a landmark moment, coming just after the monastery commemorated its millennium in 2025. Later that same day, the Pope is expected to preside over a multitudinous mass at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium.

A Crowded Catalan Itinerary

The Pope’s time in Catalonia is shaping up to be rich with symbolic events. On Wednesday, 10th June, he is scheduled to lead a ceremony at the Sagrada Família to bless the newly completed Tower of Jesus. This event carries dual significance, coinciding with the centenary of architect Antoni Gaudí’s death. The Church declared Gaudí ‘Venerable’ last year, a key step on the path to sainthood.

Some observers within the Vatican see the potential visit to Montserrat as a logical step. Despite Pope Francis gifting the sanctuary a Golden Rose in October 2023 for the 800th anniversary of its confraternity, the abbey’s millennium passed without a private reception for the abbot, Manel Gasch, at the Vatican. A papal visit would be a powerful gesture of recognition for one of Catalonia’s most important spiritual centres.

Organisers expect to announce the final programme for the trip, scheduled from 6th to 12th June, in the coming weeks. They have also indicated that further modifications or additions are still possible.

An Invitation Long Extended

Catalan church leaders have long extended an invitation for a papal visit. The Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona, Juan José Omella, formally invited Pope Leo XIV to both Montserrat and the Sagrada Família shortly after his election last May. At a press conference in Rome, Cardinal Omella highlighted the region’s appeal.

“We have Montserrat, the Sagrada Família and Antoni Gaudí, many activities. I don’t know if the Pope will be able to summarise it all in one visit or if he will have to come three times. Well, we will leave it in his hands,” Omella stated.

The Archbishop reportedly reiterated the invitation directly to the Pope following the conclave. The abbot of Montserrat, Manel Gasch, also had a brief opportunity to speak with the Pontiff at the end of a public audience in St. Peter’s Square last October.

A Papal Return to Spain

A visit by Pope Leo XIV would mark a notable shift from his predecessor. Pope Francis did not make an apostolic journey to Spain during his pontificate, choosing instead to focus his travels on what he termed the “peripheries” of the world. In contrast, Pope Benedict XVI visited Spain on multiple occasions, including a 2010 trip to Barcelona where he presided over the consecration of the Sagrada Família as a basilica. However, he did not visit Montserrat on that occasion.

The last pontiff to visit the mountain monastery was Pope John Paul II in November 1982. Severe weather tragically marred that visit, disrupting the schedule and leading to a landslide that killed two women.

Pope Leo XIV’s wider trip to Spain will consist of three stages. It will begin in Madrid, where he will meet with all of Spain’s bishops. Following his two days in Barcelona, he will travel to the Canary Islands. That final leg of the journey will focus on the issue of migration, a humanitarian crisis that defines one of Europe’s most southern borders.

According to the official source, see The Holy See (Vatican).