Pope Leo XIV blesses the Tower of Jesus!
Pope Leo XIV is visiting Spain for the first time as head of the Catholic Church!
Madrid, Jun 10 (EFE).-
Pope Leo XIV blessed the Tower of Jesus at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia during a spectacular celebration at a Mass attended by King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and other dignitaries.
The pontiff advocated for peace and hospitality in the homily at the Basilica, after visiting Montserrat, the mountain abbey that symbolizes the region of Catalonia.
The Sagrada Família, a symbol of unity and harmony
Pope Leo XIV blessed the Tower of Jesus, the largest tower of the Sagrada Família and, at 172.5 meters tall, the world’s tallest religious building, in one of the most anticipated moments of the pontiff’s visit to Catalonia.
The pontiff praised the Basilica as “a sign of unity and harmony” during his homily.
“It is a temple that makes us a family loved by the Lord, nourished by his own life in the Eucharist. This is how Barcelona and all of Catalonia come together in this temple, which is also a sign of unity and harmony,” said the pontiff regarding the work of architect Antoni Gaudí.
He also proclaimed that “one cannot believe in Jesus and promote war and kill the innocent” or “abandon those who flee.”
The ceremony had a spectacular finale, with lights, a choir, and a group of drones that formed the image of the architect who designed it, Antoni Gaudí, in the sky .
Before Mass, Valentina, a 13-year-old blind girl, explained to Pope Leo XIV the features of the Tower of Jesus and the cross that crowns it while she felt a model of the structure with her hands.
Ceremony at Montserrat, Catalan identity
Earlier, Leo XIV flew by helicopter to Montserrat, an abbey nestled among the mountains that symbolizes Catalan identity, where the Virgin of Montserrat is venerated—a 12th-century Romanesque black statue and patron saint of Catalonia, popularly known as La Moreneta.
There, the pope entrusted himself to the image, which “always” accompanies him, he said, and called for cultivating love in political debates and on social media.
First pope to visit a Spanish prison
León XIV became the first pope to visit a Spanish prison when he met with inmates at Brians 1 Prison.
“Although hardship and sadness may mark certain moments of your journey, remember that life’s mistakes do not define a person’s identity,” the pope told them in his address to nearly 80 male and female inmates from the Brians 1, Brians 2, and Wad Ras facilities.
In the auditorium at Brians 1, the pontiff listened to the testimonies of Montse and Josefina, two female inmates who recounted how they regained their faith in prison.
After hearing their testimonies, Leo XIV embraced the two inmates and emphasized that God’s gaze “is a comforting truth that accompanies us at all times and reminds us how His merciful love always transcends whatever good or evil we may have done.” EFE
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