This aerial photograph taken from a drone on April 22, 2026, shows the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona. Iconic monument designed more than 140 years ago, Barcelona's eternally unfinished Sagrada Familia has grown to become the world's tallest church. STRINGER / AFP
Pope Leo XIV will celebrate a mass at Barcelona's iconic Sagrada Familia Basilica during his six-day visit to Spain next month, according to the itinerary of his trip published by the Vatican on Wednesday, May 6.
The mass will be held on June 10 on the 100th anniversary of the death of the basilica's architect, Antoni Gaudí, who was declared "venerable" by the Catholic Church in 2025 – the first step on the path to sainthood.
The event will mark the inauguration of the newest and tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia basilica, one of Spain's top landmarks. "There is great anticipation," Barcelona Archbishop Cardinal Juan Jose Omella said at a press conference in Madrid following Vatican's release of the program for the June 6-12 visit.
Leo will meet Spain's King Felipe VI on June 6 in Madrid, before holding a massive outdoor mass in the center of the Spanish capital the following day. The American pope will meet Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has clashed with US President Donald Trump, on June 8 before a gathering with the diocesan community at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
