The organizers of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain held a press conference on Tuesday to review the apostolic journey, highlighting in particular the collaboration provided by public administrations and presenting a cost estimate that places the total expenditure at around 26 million euros. The event was led by Fernando Giménez Barriocanal and Yago de la Cierva, the two national coordinators responsible for directing the organization of a visit that, over the course of a week, mobilized dioceses, public institutions, private benefactors, and thousands of volunteers.
Alongside the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Bishop Luis Argüello, both coordinators assessed a visit that took the Pope to Madrid, Barcelona, San Feliu de Llobregat, the Canary Islands, and San Cristóbal de La Laguna between June 6 and 12.
Praise for institutional collaboration
During the press conference, Yago de la Cierva made special mention of the involvement of public administrations in organizing the trip.
The national coordinator particularly thanked the ministries of the Presidency, Interior, Defense, and Foreign Affairs, as well as the participation of the various regional and local administrations involved in the events held during the visit.
“The papal entourage was impressed by the organization, and it has been a pleasure to work with the authorities. The climate of cooperation has been very good and generous.”
A bill of 26 million euros
For his part, Fernando Giménez Barriocanal presented the first financial figures for the trip. Pending the final closing of the accounts, the total cost of the visit stands at around 26 million euros. A figure close to the estimate made by Cobo at the beginning of March.
He explained that 45% of the expenses will be covered by private benefactors; 30% will come from Church institutions through funds contributed by the faithful; 20% will be assumed by public administrations; and the remaining 5% will come through collections.
Barriocanal and De la Cierva especially thanked the benefactors who contributed financially to the organization of the visit. They noted that many of them collaborated without seeking public prominence or any return for their contribution.
In this context, De la Cierva recalled the words spoken by Pope Leo XIV during a meeting with the benefactors: “Thank you very much, because you have made it possible for my words to reach many people.”
The challenge after the visit
During his remarks, Bishop Luis Argüello referred to the pastoral consequences of the trip. The president of the Episcopal Conference stated that the visit allowed people to witness “the evangelization of the Church in action” through the proclamation of the Word, the celebration of the liturgy, and the exercise of charity.
Argüello also stressed that the main challenge begins now. He recalled one of the Pope’s final exhortations before leaving Spain: “Now it is up to you.”
He explained that the challenge for the Spanish Church is to transform the emotion sparked by the visit into Christian commitment, ecclesial life, and evangelizing action.
More than 5,800 accredited journalists
The organizers also highlighted the media reach of the apostolic journey. More than 5,800 journalists were accredited to cover the various events held during the week—one of the largest media coverages of a Church event in Spain in recent years.
Bishop Argüello expressly thanked media professionals for the international dissemination of the papal visit, while De la Cierva acknowledged the work of RTVE, Telemadrid, 3Cat, and Radio Televisión Canaria for distributing the official broadcast signal of the events.
The national coordinator also expressed gratitude to King Felipe VI for making available the Falcon aircraft used by Pope Leo XIV to return to Rome at the end of his trip.
Beyond organization and figures
The press conference served to close the organizational chapter of a visit that mobilized significant human, economic, and institutional resources. However, for the Spanish Church, the true balance of these days can hardly be measured by the number of attendees, television audiences, or the economic cost of the trip.
Read also: Balance of Pope Leo XIV in Spain: beyond the crowds
Throughout his journey across Spain, Pope Leo XIV emphasized issues that recurred in his addresses: the need to return to Christ, the centrality of the Cross, the evangelizing commitment of the laity, the transmission of the faith, and the challenge of responding to the great questions of contemporary humanity.
With the stages now dismantled and the accounts still pending final closure, a less visible but probably more decisive stage now begins: determining whether the momentum generated by the visit translates into renewed ecclesial life or remains merely the memory of a week marked by crowds, institutional encounters, and intense media attention.