Pope Leo XIV Blesses Sagrada Familia’s Jesus Tower, Now World’s Tallest Church, After Visiting Abuse-Linked Montserrat Abbey

Pope Leo XIV blessed the Tower of Jesus Christ at Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica on Wednesday after celebrating Mass inside the structure, which now stands as the world's tallest church at 564 feet. The pope offered the formal blessing to the final spire following the service, which marked the centenary of architect Antoni Gaudi's death.

Streets surrounding the basilica were closed to traffic, and police maintained a heavy presence as tens of thousands of people gathered outside.

Earlier that day, Pope Leo XIV visited the Montserrat mountain complex outside Barcelona. He prayed at the 11th-century Benedictine abbey and the 16th-century basilica that houses a revered Black Madonna statue and Europe's oldest boys' choir. Thousands of people gathered at the monastery, where bells rang across the rock formations as the pope arrived by golf cart.

The Montserrat abbey has faced accusations of clergy sexual abuse. A 2023 Spanish ombudsman's report named the site and identified 15 victims and three alleged perpetrators linked to the abbey. Construction of Sagrada Familia began during the papacy of Pope Leo XIII.

Gaudi spent four decades designing the basilica, which features 18 spires, three facades depicting scenes from Christ's life, tree-like columns, and colored light from stained glass windows. The structure draws more than 5 million visitors annually and remains unfinished more than a century after work started. Gaudi died at age 73 in 1926 after being struck by a tram.