Pope Benedict XVI visit Barcelona 2010

Consecration of Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona

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Event date:  Sunday 7th November 2010
Event location:  Sagrada Familia church Barcelona

Pope Benedict XVI visits Barcelona on 7th November 2010 to preside at the consecration of the still unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona. He will stay at the Archbishop's residence ( l’Arquebisbat) onstreet Bisbe 5 by Barcelona Cathedral La Seu. Before coming to Barcelona the Pope (el Papa) will visit the shrine of Santiago de Compostela on 6th November 2010.

Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, said that one purpose of the Pope's trip to Barcelona would be to "underline the dialogue between faith and art."

The Sagrada Familia (which means Holy Family) cathedral is the unfinished masterpiece of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.

This is the third visit to Spain by Pope Benedict since his election.  In Spanish the pope is called "El Papa Benedicto XVI" and in Catalan "El Papa Benet XVI."  

This is a big event with 11 blocks around the church closed to traffic closed to traffic from Saturday 6 November to Monday 8 November, at 6 am. 6,000 spectators will watch the service inside the church and a further 36.000 seats will be available outside La Sagrada Familia for spectators to watch on big screens.

Thousands more are expected to line the streets of the Pope's driving route in the Popemobile as it drives through Barcelona from 09.00 to 09.30 on 7th November 2010. Protests are also anticipated as no all citizens of Barcelona are enthused about the cost of Pope's visit although the city council calculates that the expense will be recuperated by the number of visitors to Barcelona.

The last time Barcelona welcomed a papal visit was on the same date in 1982 when Pope John Paul II visited Barcelona and also visited the Sagrada Familia as well as giving a mass at Camp Nou.