6:12 p.m. – A colorful crowd in the streets of Barcelona
In the streets where the Pope must pass, a good-natured atmosphere reigns. Far from the heat of the beginning of the week. There are many young people, old people and some children.
You can see many Catalan flags, a few Castilian flags and, everywhere, fans with the event logo. Applause and songs sometimes resound in the streets of Barcelona where “Viva el papa” also resonates.
5:58 p.m. – READ. Leo XIV faced with the “open wound” of abuse
Leo XIV addressed the Spanish Congress in Madrid on Monday – a first for a pope. In a widely applauded speech, the pope raised the issue of sexual violence in the Church as well as that of the secrecy of confession. He also defended a vision of the law based on human dignity.
5:50 p.m. – TESTIMONY. To the French parish, “while waiting for Paris!” »
In front of the French parish of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, the tricolor and Vatican flags are distributed. We feel the excitement: “This is the opportunity to sing, to show that we are alive!” »
Emmanuelle, 39 years old and business manager, took the afternoon off exceptionally, something she had never done before. “It was impossible for me not to go see the Pope as he passed through my town. I made this moment of contemplation between Christians my priority. »
Father Portier and parishioners in front of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, in Barcelona.
Charlotte de Frémont / La Croix
Odile, 82 years old, will not say the opposite: “It’s the crowning achievement of my life! », she exclaims. For Marie, 20 years old, “it is important that we represent the French parish, to show Leo XIV our support”. “Waiting for Paris!” », adds Clémence, a 19-year-old student, who came specially from France to Barcelona for the event.
“This journey reminds us that the Church has never ceased to be universal,” concludes Father Patrick Portier: “The Sagrada Família invites us to turn our gaze towards the heavens, a way of reminding us that our life on this earth is only a passage. »
5:45 p.m. – READ. The Sagrada Familia, unfinished masterpiece
Pope Leo XIV visits Barcelona to commemorate the centenary of Antoni Gaudi’s death at its iconic basilica. Its Sagrada Familia, now the tallest church in the world with its tower of Jesus Christ peaking at 172.5 meters, welcomes five million visitors annually. This papal visit symbolizes the spiritual recognition of the work of the man nicknamed the “architect monk”.
5:40 p.m. – TESTIMONY. Cristina and Elena, mobilized “catifiers”
On the occasion of the Pope’s visit, 58 members of the Federació Catalana de Catifaires (upholsterers, in Catalan), mainly volunteers, mobilized on the square of the Passion facade, at the Sagrada Familia. This cultural organization brings together “catifaires”, people who make flower carpets during important events. “This custom is very widespread in Spain, especially during the Corpus Christi celebrations,” explain Cristina and Elena, members of the federation.
For this occasion, the carpet created, however, differs from the usual creations: due to the heat and the need to make it last for two days, it was not designed with flowers, but with wood shavings and charcoal.
The design pays homage to Antoni Gaudí, with 2026 marking the centenary of his death. “It’s good that the Pope is coming, not because the Sagrada Familia needs more tourists, but because it lets the world see that the Jesus Tower was completed this year. I hope that we will see the end of the project in our lifetime,” adds Cristina.
5:30 p.m. – READ. Spain, a country visited several times by the popes
With his seven-day trip, Leo XIV ended fifteen years without an official papal visit to Spain. If John Paul II and Benedict XVI visited the country five and three times respectively, notably on the occasion of World Youth Day, Francis has never visited there despite several plans.
5:15 p.m. – Leo XIV’s program at the Sagrada Familia
Arriving yesterday in Barcelona, the pope must go, accompanied by the King of Spain Felipe VI, to the crypt of the Sagrada Familia, to the tomb of the architect of the basilica Antoni Gaudi, for whom the Vatican opened the way last year to a possible beatification. Leo
In recent days in Madrid, in front of hundreds of thousands of faithful, the Pope engaged in a plea towards Catholic Europe whose heritage he praised, while calling on Catholics not to rely on an identity-based or nationalist interpretation.
Welcome to this live dedicated to the visit and mass of Leo XIV at the Sagrada Familia, on the occasion of the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudi.
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