After the Archbishop of Tarragona, Joan Planellas, announced last week that Pope Leo XIV will visit Spain from June 6 to 12, the diocese of the Canary Islands has begun working on preparations for a possible presence of the Holy Father on the islands, but for now avoids confirming specific dates or an official program.
The diocese itself reported this weekend on the meeting held with the coordinators appointed by the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) —Yago de la Cierva and Fernando Jiménez Barriocanal—, who traveled to hold a working meeting with Monsignor José Mazuelos, Monsignor Cristóbal Déniz, and the diocesan commission specifically established to organize the eventual visit.
Technical work and preliminary planning
During the meeting, essential logistical and organizational aspects were addressed: financing, transfers, possible locations, proposals for events, and communication planning. This is an initial technical phase, aimed at preparing the ground for an event of great pastoral and social magnitude.
Likewise, in the month of March, a visit from a commission of the Holy See is scheduled, which will aim to understand the reality of the diocese and collaborate in the preparation of a preliminary roadmap. That proposal will subsequently be studied in the Vatican for its eventual approval.
Call for unity and official information
Monsignor José Mazuelos expressed his satisfaction with the preparatory meeting and expressed his hope that the visit can be confirmed soon. He also recalled that the desire expressed by Leo XIV to visit the Canary Islands is already a reason for gratitude and hope for the local Church.
The bishop invited the faithful to collaborate with a spirit of unity and responsibility, and asked them to pay attention exclusively to the official information communicated through the diocesan channels, including the definitive confirmation —such as the dates and the program— which will depend on the final decision of the Holy See.