Pope Leo traveled to Barcelona on Wednesday to preside over the inauguration of the latest spire atop the Sagrada Familia, the modernist cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi. After celebrating Mass inside the light-filled basilica at 7:30 p.m. (1730 GMT), the pope moved outside to bless the newly finished Tower of Jesus Christ, a 172.5-metre (566 ft) spire topped by a five-storey ceramic cross that is visible across the Catalan capital.
The blessing is heavy with symbolic meaning. It falls on the centenary of Gaudi's death and serves as a highlight of the pope's week-long visit to Spain, during which he has warned that rising conflicts around the world have driven humanity into a deep crisis.
A milestone in a protracted project
This papal visit is the third time a pope has come to the basilica. It also arrives a year after the Vatican's media portal characterized Gaudi as "God's architect" and after officials approved a significant step toward his possible sainthood. Gaudi, born in 1852, was a devout Catholic who devoted more than four decades of his life to the Sagrada Familia, working on the project from 1883 until his death in a tram accident in 1926.
Completing the immense structure has proven difficult. The building comprises three facades in differing architectural styles and 18 towers inspired by natural forms. Although planners had aimed to complete construction this year, the target completion date has been postponed to 2035.
The basilica, often described as Gaudi's magnum opus, together with six of his other creations, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It remains a potent draw for international tourism: last year a record 4.9 million people visited the church. Those ticket revenues are the principal funding source for the project's continued construction.
Earlier visits in the pope's program
Earlier on Wednesday, Pope Leo became the first pope to visit one of Spain's largest prisons, meeting inmates at Brians 1. An advocate for prisoners' rights, he urged those incarcerated to make amends and commit to better lives, saying a person's past "does not condemn the future but rather offers the possibility of changing our decisions and choices."
The pope also spent time at the Benedictine abbey in Montserrat, situated in the mountains about 60 km (40 miles) from Barcelona. There he called on the monks "to renounce hurtful words, hasty judgment, gossip and slander", specifically including conduct on social media.
During the Montserrat visit, Leo again addressed people briefly in the Catalan language, acknowledging the region's distinct identity. Outside the abbey, Montserrat Cerdeira, 54, described the moment: "That a pope, who is such an important person worldwide, talks to people in Catalan gives (me) goosebumps."
The pope's itinerary in Spain has thus combined liturgical ceremony, pastoral outreach to prisoners and appeals to religious communities, alongside a ceremonially significant stop at an architectural landmark whose completion reflects decades of technical, financial and cultural challenges.