The Pope presented the Barcelona temple as a great instrument of evangelization and stated that the tallest church in the world must serve to “guide the steps of the people of God” and not to stand out in human rankings.
The Basilica of the Sagrada Família experienced one of the most significant moments of Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic visit to Spain this Wednesday. After praying before the Blessed Sacrament and pausing for a few moments at the tomb of the Venerable Antoni Gaudí, the Pontiff presided over Holy Mass in the Barcelona temple, coinciding with the centenary of the death of its architect, and at the end of the celebration, he blessed the Tower of Jesus Christ, the culmination of the project conceived more than a century ago by the Catalan genius.
Before thousands of faithful gathered inside the basilica, Leo XIV presented Gaudí’s work as an authentic catechesis built in stone, light, and color, capable of leading contemporary man to an encounter with Christ.
A temple that continues to grow alongside the Church
At the beginning of his homily, the Pope thanked the presence of civil and religious authorities, as well as representatives of other Christian confessions and religions who participated in the celebration.
Addressing the faithful also in Catalan, he highlighted that the Sagrada Família opens its doors like arms that welcome everyone to listen to the Word of God and gather around the Eucharist.
Below we present the complete homily:
«Senyor, sobirà nostre, que n’és, de gloriós, el vostre nom per tota la terra!» (Sl 8,2.10). With the praise of this psalm, so full of joy and wonder, I greet all of you, dear brothers and sisters. I express my gratitude to Their Majesties, I thank Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, as well as the other brothers in the Episcopate and all who join us in prayer: priests, deacons, religious men and women. On this festive evening for the entire city of Barcelona, I extend my grateful greeting to the public authorities, as well as to the members of other Christian communities and other religions who participate in our thanksgiving.
Today the Basilica of the Sagrada Família welcomes us in this beautiful city, opening its doors as if they were arms inviting each one to this altar to listen to the Word of God. It is a temple that constitutes us as a family loved by the Lord, nourished by His own life in the Eucharist. Thus the city of Barcelona and all of Catalonia gather in this temple, also a sign of unity and concord, and raise their gaze to meet the face of God the Father, resplendent in His Son made man, Jesus Christ.
While giving thanks to the Lord for His charity toward us, we praise Him for all He accomplishes in our lives. We especially thank Him for this extraordinary basilica, which Pope Benedict XVI consecrated in 2010, recalling that it is a visible sign of the invisible God, and that its towers rise for His glory (cf. Homily for the Consecration, November 7, 2010). In continuity with the prayer of my Predecessor, in a few moments I will bless the tallest tower, that of Jesus Christ.
[Today the Basilica of the Sagrada Família welcomes us in this beautiful city, opening its doors as if they were arms to invite each one to this altar to listen to the Word of God. It is a temple that constitutes us as a family loved by the Lord, nourished by His own life in the Eucharist. Thus the city of Barcelona and all of Catalonia gather in this temple, also a sign of unity and concord, and raise their gaze to meet the face of God the Father, resplendent in His Son made man, Jesus Christ.
While giving thanks to the Lord for His charity toward us, we praise Him for what He accomplishes in our lives. We especially thank Him for this extraordinary basilica, which Pope Benedict XVI consecrated in 2010, recalling that it is a visible sign of the invisible God, for whose glory its towers rise (cf. Homily for the Consecration, November 7, 2010). In continuity with the prayer of my Predecessor, in a few moments I will bless the tallest tower, that of Jesus Christ.]
This church is a single building, composed of many stones. A house that grows steadily over the years, following the same plan. All of us are the living stones of this work, which has Christ as its foundation and summit, beginning and end. Much more than a monument, the Basilica of the Sagrada Família remains today a work in progress, reminding us that the Christian life is always a journey, because it is a project that God carries out.
We do not inhabit an unfinished work, but a temple still under construction. Its imperfection is not a defect, because it bears witness to a desire; it does not signify a lack, but expresses a promise we wish to honor with coherence. Our gratitude then becomes commitment, as we cooperate in God’s project, that is, in the building to which He Himself calls us. Since we are temples of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 6,16.19), this work coincides with our life, which God conceives as a masterpiece we must accomplish together and which calls us to collaborate with Him (cf. 1 Cor 3,9).
In this regard, we keep in our hearts the words the Lord addressed to King David: “Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?” (2 Sam 7,5). On the contrary, “the Lord declares to you that He will build you a house” (v. 11). With this announcement, Scripture teaches us that it is not we who give God a place, as if He were an element in a series or part of a greater whole than Himself. It is God who gives us a place, and the place He gives us is His own heart: the place of the Son, for us who were strangers; the place of the Beloved, for us who are sinners.
This will of His is fulfilled through Jesus; we can then understand the meaning of what we have heard in the Gospel, when the Lord says to the Pharisees: “If you do not believe that ‘I am,’ you will die in your sins” (Jn 8,24). Strong words, which are not threats at all, nor blackmail. They are an invitation to salvation, that is, a call to freedom from Christ, who wants for us the definitive, eternal good. In the face of the threat of evil, the Lord is always with us, always on our side. “I am”: this is the Most Holy Name that God gave to Moses from the burning bush, revealing His unbreakable fidelity. Made man, He becomes for us Emmanuel, source of grace and forgiveness, of salvation and new life. That is why, if we do not believe in Jesus Christ, we remain in sin and not only do we die, but we cause the death of our neighbor. Dear brothers, we cannot believe in Jesus and promote war. We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent even before he is born. We cannot believe in Jesus and abandon those who suffer, who weep, who flee from misery.
On this night, then, the Cross of Christ, which crowns this basilica, is the Cross of the last who become first, of sinners who become saints, of the dead who rise again. The three façades of the Sagrada Família bear witness to this: the First becomes the last for us at Christmas; with His sacrifice He redeems us through the Passion; His death gives us eternal life by making us partakers of divine glory. In admiring the Tower of Jesus Christ, we raise our gaze to Him, to the One who reveals to us the truth of God and the truth of ourselves. Looking at Christ we can see the world with renewed eyes: the tower of the cross then becomes a standard of charity, because God loves us in this way, transforming an instrument of death into a sign of hope. In the cross of Jesus our faith reaches its summit, as the inscription at the base of the spire professes: “Tu solus Sanctus, Tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus”. This cross shines by day, reflecting the light of the sun, and shines by night, illuminating the city like a beacon open to the Mediterranean.
[Let us remember tonight, then, that the Cross of Christ, which crowns this basilica, is the Cross of the last who become first, of sinners who become saints, of the dead who will rise again. The three façades of the Sagrada Família bear witness to this: the First becomes the last for us at Christmas; with His sacrifice He redeems us through the Passion; His death gives us eternal life by making us partakers of divine glory. In admiring the Tower of Jesus Christ, we raise our gaze to Him, to the One who alone reveals to us the truth of God and the truth of ourselves. Looking at Christ we can see the world with renewed eyes: the tower of the cross then becomes a standard of charity, because God loves us in this way, transforming an instrument of death into a sign of hope. In the cross of Jesus our faith reaches its summit, as the inscription at the base of the spire professes: “Tu solus Sanctus, Tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus”. This cross shines by day, reflecting the light of the sun, and shines by night, illuminating the city like a beacon open to the Mediterranean.]
Yes, the light of Christ shines in the darkness, although the darkness has not welcomed it (cf. Jn 1,5.11). However, this rejection does not make God’s love lacking: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man,” says the Lord, “then you will know that I am, and that I do nothing on my own, but speak as the Father has taught me” (Jn 8,28). It is necessary to pass through the passion of the Crucified to be enlightened by the glory of the Risen One: from all eternity, in fact, the Father teaches to give life and the Son, who receives it from Him, gives it to all with the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why the cross is precisely the luminous sign of His love.
It is faith that gives shape to the stones and meaning to the building we inhabit together. In our prayer, therefore, we discover the original bond of things with God, creator of heaven and earth: He is the artist who has imprinted His splendor on the cosmos. Created in His image, man responds to God’s work with his own ingenuity: thus the artist turns talent into praise and creativity into witness to the same Creator. As an architect ardent in faith, the Venerable Antoni Gaudí conceived these spaces with the desire to narrate the mysteries of the Lord’s life: in this way he has proposed to us a spiritual pilgrimage, which leads to the encounter with Christ born, dead, and risen for us. Together with Gaudí, whose centenary of death we commemorate, we remember and give thanks this evening to all the promoters and benefactors, to the artists and workers who cooperate in the construction of an architectural masterpiece, which is also an eloquent catechesis made of stones, colors, and light. In its wisdom, the Church thus renews the Biblia pauperum of the ancient cathedrals, which are themselves messages of evangelization of great richness. In this age of the image, it becomes even more evident how art and beauty are eminent channels of evangelization.
[It is precisely faith that gives shape to the stones and meaning to the building we inhabit together. In our prayer we discover, therefore, the original bond of things with God, creator of heaven and earth: He is the artist who has imprinted His splendor on the cosmos. Created in His image, man responds to God’s work with his own ingenuity: thus the artist turns talent into praise and creativity into witness to the same Creator. As an architect ardent in faith, the Venerable Antoni Gaudí conceived these spaces with the desire to narrate the mysteries of the Lord’s life: in this way he has proposed to us a spiritual pilgrimage, which leads to the encounter with Christ born, dead, and risen for us. Together with Gaudí, whose centenary of death we commemorate, we remember and give thanks this evening to all the promoters and benefactors, to the artists and workers who cooperate in the construction of an architectural masterpiece, which is also an eloquent catechesis made of stones, colors, and light. In its wisdom, the Church thus renews the Biblia pauperum of the ancient cathedrals, which are themselves messages of evangelization of great richness. In this age of the image, it becomes even more evident how art and beauty are eminent channels of evangelization.]
Dear brothers and sisters, the beauty of this temple encourages us to learn more and more from our Master and Lord the art of living according to His Gospel. While we raise our gaze to Him, the Crucified and Risen One, let us commit ourselves to lifting up the face of those who lie in the dust (cf. 1 Sam 2,8). And thus let us show that the Sagrada Família is the tallest church in the world, not to stand out in worldly rankings, but to guide the steps of the people of God who are pilgrims in Spain, with the cross that lights the way, like a lamp lit in expectation of the Bridegroom’s return.
The blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ
After the celebration of Mass, Leo XIV presided over the ceremony of blessing the Tower of Jesus Christ, the tallest of the eighteen towers planned by Gaudí and the element that definitively crowns the profile of the basilica.
During the blessing prayer, the Pope recalled that Jesus Christ is “the beginning and end of all things” and asked that all who contemplate the cross placed upon the tower may attain the fruits of redemption.
He also prayed for those who have worked on the construction of the temple and for all the pilgrims who find in the Sagrada Família a place of prayer, peace, and encounter with God.
At the conclusion of the blessing, Leo XIV sprinkled the faithful with holy water and directed his gaze toward the cross that crowns the new tower, in a gesture that evoked the motto of his apostolic journey to Spain: “Raise your gaze.”