VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDES, Spain (AP) — Bruna Vall Galán, 8, gave a unique welcome to Catalonia to Pope Leo XIV Tuesday night — from the top of a nearly 10-meter (33-foot) human tower created at the start of Leo’s prayer vigil in Barcelona.

Human towers, or “castells” in the Catalan language, are not only a feat of equilibrium, strength and teamwork, but a crucial part of the proud identity in this northeastern Spanish region.