The historic visit to our country of Pope Leo XIV continues its course with the second leg in Barcelona. The Holy Pontiff will remain in Catalonia from June 9 to 11, with a schedule that will blend liturgical acts and pastoral visits between the Catalan capital, Brians and Montserrat. A trip that comes after marathon and large-scale days in Madrid, which included a reception with the kings of Spain at the Royal Palace.
Following a weekend packed with events, highlighted by a massive Mass on Corpus Christi Day attended by more than a million people, the stage of Leo XIV in the capital of Catalonia will begin. There, the most vulnerable will occupy a significant part of his agenda. After landing, his first liturgical act on Catalan soil will be the Midday Prayer at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.
The next point on the Barcelona itinerary of Pope Leo XIV will take place at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. There, on Tuesday afternoon a great vigil will be held with the Pontiff that will be the most crowded event of his entire trip to Catalonia. It is expected that about 40,000 people will attend the venue.
For Wednesday, the visit to the parish of Sant Agustí in the Raval neighborhood remains, one of the neighborhoods with the highest migrant population in the city. Pope Leo XIV will also travel to the Brians 1 penitentiary center, located in Sant Esteve Sesrovires. This will be the second visit to a prison during his pontificate, after Bata, in Equatorial Guinea.
Pope Leo XIV at Two Iconic Places
Two emblematic icons of Catalonia, as are the Sagrada Família and Montserrat, will share the Pontiff’s attention on Wednesday, June 10. The last papal visit to the monastery was that of John Paul II in 1982. On this occasion, the American will be received by the abbot and the central act will consist of a midday rosary prayer inside the basilica. One of the most significant gestures of the visit will be the exception to the vow of silence that Benedictine monks maintain during meals, so they can converse with Pope Leo XIV.
Pope Leo XIV, greeting from the papamobile.
The cornerstone of the papal journey will take place at the Sagrada Família as part of the centenary of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaudí. Pope Leo XIV will celebrate a Mass attended by up to 8,000 people and subsequently bless the Tower of Jesus Christ, the tallest of the 18 towers of this emblematic construction. The kings Felipe and Letizia will travel to Barcelona to be present at the ceremony.
The visit of Leo XIV to the Barcelona temple will occur exactly 144 years, 2 months and 22 days after the laying of the first stone at the Sagrada Família. A solemn ceremony that is expected to function at once as a spiritual act and as a powerful tourist and cultural showcase for the Catalan city.
Queen Sofía does not travel to Tenerife
After the final act at the Sagrada Família, Pope Leo XIV will end his stay in Barcelona and continue his journey through Spain to the Canary Islands. This last leg of his trip has undergone a last-minute modification regarding the Spanish royal family. It had been planned that Queen Sofía would bid him farewell at Tenerife Norte-Cuidad de la Laguna airport before heading back to the Vatican. Finally, it will be King Felipe himself who will bid him farewell.
The Pope’s schedule in the Canary Islands will feature several meetings with associations that assist migrants arriving in canoes from Africa. He will also participate in the clergy meeting at the Cathedral of Santa Ana and will celebrate Masses at the Gran Canaria Stadium and at the port of Santa Cruz.
