Pope Leo XIV blessed the newly completed Tower of Jesus Christ at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica June 10, inaugurating the crowning spire that makes the iconic church the tallest Catholic church the world and urging people to lift their gaze to Christ “who alone reveals to us the truth about God and the truth about ourselves.”
Pope Leo XIV listened to deeply personal testimonies from young people grappling with depression, family trauma and questions of faith on his first day in Barcelona at Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, telling a crowd of tens of thousands that God does not abandon those who suffer, even when his presence feels most distant.
More than 1.2 million people filled the streets of Madrid as Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and led a Eucharistic procession through the heart of the Spanish capital
The Basílica de La Sagrada Família in Barcelona is nearly complete after more than 140 years of construction. Its design by architect Antoni Gaudí, a candidate for sainthood, is considered his magnum opus.
The first-ever U.S. tour of St. Bernadette’s relics has been underway since April, including a May 20 stop at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in West Harlem, Manhattan.
The mayor of a small town in southern Spain forcibly removed a cross from the doors of a convent. The crucifix was then found in a garbage dump. The events took place last week in the town of Aguilar de la Frontera, in the Diocese of Cordoba, in the Andalusia region in southern Spain.
Despite restrictions on hate speech on social media in Spain, a trending hashtag calling for Catholic priests to be burned alive was not removed for violating rules against posting calls for violence.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has asked Pope Francis to apologize for the church’s role in the conquest of the Americas. It’s the second time he has made such a request of the pontiff in less than two years.
During a meeting Sept. 19 with the heads of the Spanish bishops’ conference, Pope Francis expressed concern over a measure to legalize euthanasia soon to be discussed by Spain’s Senate.
Pope Francis named Archbishop Bernardito Auza, who has represented the Vatican at the United Nations since 2014, to be nuncio to Spain and Andorra.
