Pope Francis Blesses New Sagrada Família Tower in Barcelona, King Felipe Attends

Pope Francis (Leon IX) celebrated the inauguration of the newly completed 172‑meter central tower of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. The tower, finished in February 2024, elevates the basilica to the tallest church in the world. The ceremony coincided with the centenary of architect Antoni Gaudí’s death and was attended by Spanish King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, the Spanish prime minister and spouse, as well as thousands of faithful who displayed Catalan and Vatican flags.

During the Mass the Pope praised Spain as a “country full of faith and love,” called for patient dialogue amid growing polarization, condemned war and rearmament, and pledged the Catholic Church’s intensified effort to combat clerical sexual abuse. The new tower, topped by a giant ceramic cross, brings the Sagrada Família closer to its originally envisioned height and attracts about five million visitors annually, generating revenue from tickets and private donations. Construction, which began in 1882, had been delayed by the COVID‑19 pandemic.