BARCELONA, Spain (RNS) — Visiting one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, the Basilica of the Sagrada Família, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and blessed its recently constructed central tower of Jesus Christ, which made it the tallest church in the world.
During his Wednesday (June 10) homily before over 4,000 people, including 200 cardinals and bishops, and surrounded by the nature-inspired architecture of Antoni Gaudí, often referred to as “God’s architect,” the pope made a forceful appeal against war and in defense of human life.
“We cannot believe in Jesus and promote war. We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent. We cannot believe in Jesus and abandon those who suffer, those who weep, those who flee from misery,” he said.
The liturgy was accompanied by a 600-voice choir and witnessed by church and state authorities in Spain, including the Catholic monarchs King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
The pope praised the Barcelona church, which has been under construction for over 140 years, as “a work in progress today, reminding us that the Christian life is always a journey because it is a project that God is carrying out.”
The imposing structure was built as a response to the industrial revolution of the 19th century through the support of the Association of the Devotees of St. Joseph, who sought to counter the secularization that accompanied the industrial era.
People wait for Pope Leo XIV’s …