Pope Leo Blesses New Highest Spire of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família

By Joshua McElwee and Joan Faus

BARCELONA, June 10 (Reuters) – Pope Leo visited Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia on Wednesday and inaugurated its newest spire, raising the modernist basilica designed by Antoni Gaudí to become the world’s tallest church.

During a Mass in the luminous interior, the pope praised the building as an “architectural masterpiece.” He then stepped outside to bless the 172.5‑metre (566‑foot) Tower of Jesus Christ, topped by a five‑storey ceramic cross that can be seen across the Catalan capital.

The ceremony, which also featured a call for Christians to reject war, coincided with the centenary of Gaudí’s death and formed a key part of Leo’s week‑long tour of Spain.

In his homily, attended by thousands including King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the pope said Christians “cannot believe in Jesus and promote war.”

Leo is the third pontiff to visit the basilica, arriving a year after the Vatican highlighted Gaudí as “God’s architect” and moved forward with a step toward his canonisation.

Gaudí, a devout Catholic born in 1852, devoted more than four decades to the Sagrada Familia, working from 1883 until his death in a tram accident in 1926.

Completing the complex, which features three distinct façades and 18 nature‑inspired towers, has proved difficult. The original target of finishing this year has been pushed back to 2035.

Leo noted that the unfinished state of the basilica does not diminish its beauty; rather, it reminds believers that “the Christian life is always a journey.”

The pope described the basilica as “an eloquent catechesis made of stone, colour and light.” Along with six other Gaudí works, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts millions of visitors each year.

Last year, a record 4.9 million people visited the church, with ticket revenues helping fund its ongoing construction.

Earlier on Wednesday, Leo became the first pope to visit a Spanish prison, touring the Brians 1 penitentiary. He urged inmates to seek redemption and build better lives, emphasizing that a person’s past “does not condemn the future but offers the possibility of changing our decisions and choices.”

He also visited the Benedictine abbey of Montserrat, nestled in the mountains about 60 km (40 miles) from Barcelona, encouraging monks and Christians “to renounce hurtful words, hasty judgment, gossip and slander,” including on social media.

Speaking briefly in Catalan, the pope highlighted the region’s distinct identity. “That a pope, who is such an important person worldwide, talks to people in Catalan gives me goose‑bumps,” said Montserrat Cerdeira, 54, outside the abbey.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee and Joan Faus; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Alison Williams and Alexandra Hudson)

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