- Pope Leo XIV offered a papal blessing to La Sagrada Família’s tallest spire.
- His visit marked the centenary death of church’s Catalan architect.
- Exterior construction efforts of the basilica were completed after more than 140 years.
- He compared the basilica’s architecture to an aspect of the Christian faith.
Pope Leo XIV led Mass at La Sagrada Família on Wednesday, offering a papal blessing to the highest spire of what is now the tallest church in the world at 566 feet tall.
The pope’s visit to Spain and his blessing of the final completed tower coincide with the centenary death of Antoni Gaudí, the architect and designer behind the structure.
Gaudí took over construction of the church in 1883, knowing he wouldn’t see its completion, and famously noted that his “client” (God) wasn’t in a hurry, according to the La Sagrada Família website.
Gaudí’s vision was designed to express Christian faith through architecture, light, color and symbolism, according to the Vatican News.
After more than 140 years, and several delays in construction, the basilica’s main architectural efforts are finally complete. The final piece of the project was installed in February when a nearly 56-foot-tall cross was placed atop the central Tower of Jesus Christ, according to the Vatican News.
Pope Leo became only the second pope to have attended and celebrated Mass at the basilica, according to the church’s website. The first was in 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI led a ceremony to consecrate the church, allowing it to hold religious events.
Pope John Paul II visited the temple on his first official trip to Spain in 1982 but did not attend Mass.
Pope Leo says the basilica is unifying
During his visit, the pope prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and visited Gaudí’s tomb before celebrating the Holy Mass to bless the newly completed central tower.
In his homily, Pope Leo emphasized that true faith in Jesus Christ is incompatible with violence. Christians cannot profess belief in Jesus while waging war, killing innocent people or ignoring those who suffer, the pope said, according to the Vatican News.
King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcomed the pope to Barcelona alongside other political and church authorities.
Pope Leo noted that La Sagrada Família stands with open doors and outstretched arms, welcoming everyone to its altar to hear the word of God. He compared the building’s architecture to the Catholic Church itself — built on many stones with Christ as the foundation. The basilica’s generations-long construction, he added, symbolizes the Christian life as a continual work in progress that is ultimately completed by God.
The pope highlighted that the Sagrada Família has its doors open and its arms outstretched, welcoming and inviting everyone to its altar, to learn and hear the word of God.
The pope concluded his homily by highlighting the basilica’s façades and the newly blessed Tower of Jesus Christ, stating they point to the cross as a sign of hope and divine love. He then urged the faithful to look upward toward Christ and bring others with them.
