Pope Leo XIV blesses world's tallest church in Barcelona

Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the Sagrada Familia's final soaring sandcastle spire after a Mass on Wednesday marking the centenary of its architect Antoni Gaud.

Speaking in Catalan and Spanish, Leo blessed the basilica's Tower of Jesus Christ and its illuminated ceramic cross from outside the basilica, surrounded by bishops craning their mitre-capped heads to look up.

When the final Christ tower was finished last year at a height of 172.5 metres, it made Sagrada Familia the world's tallest church.

The service marked the highlight of Leo's weeklong visit to Spain, the first by a pope in 15 years to the once staunchly Catholic European country that, like many others, has experienced secularizing trends.