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yesterday

Pope Leo XIV Blesses Sagrada Família After Completion of Jesus Tower

The Mass crowns the newly finished central spire as the world’s tallest church, with years of interior work, a disputed main‑entrance plan, and neighborhood resistance set to shape the basilica’s final completion.

A view of the Basilica of Montserrat at the Monastery of Montserrat near Barcelona, Spain, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, on Wednesday, June 10.
Performers make a human tower, known as Castells, for Pope Leo XIV as he leads a vigil of prayer at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, in Barcelona, on Tuesday, June 9.

Overview

  • Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and formally blessed the Tower of Jesus Christ on Wednesday, drawing thousands inside the basilica and large crowds outside.
  • The central spire, finished earlier this year at about 172.5 metres (566 feet), made the Sagrada Família the world’s tallest church and was inaugurated in a ceremony with choirs, light shows, fireworks, and livestreams.
  • The service was attended by Spain’s King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and hundreds of church leaders and officials.
  • Despite the symbolic milestone, work remains on interior cladding, elevators, decorative finishes and four bell towers, and project leaders now project final completion across the coming decade or decades.
  • Local residents oppose the proposed Glory Façade main entrance because its plans would require demolishing nearby homes, a dispute that highlights broader tensions over tourism, funding from visitor fees, and the neighbourhood’s future.