The second leg of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain began with midday prayer in Barcelona's Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.

Arriving straight from the airport, the Pope was greeted by a jubilant crowd, including bishops, canons, diocesan officials, religious, seminarians, cathedral staff, volunteers, and a large number of young people.

Pope Leo entered a side-chapel for a moment of silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, before processing down the central nave as the choir sang the opening hymn.

In his homily, which was delivered in a mixture of Spanish and Catalan, the Pope invited the faithful to meditate on two images: the Bride and the Body.

The bride

The Church, Pope Leo XIV explained, is first and foremost a “Beloved Bride,” and Barcelona’s Catholic community—with its rich diversity of gifts, charisms, and personal stories—is a testament to this.

“God has willed you to be here,” the Pope said, “because in you and in your being together he loves a unique and sacred beauty and goodness.  He has chosen you to represent today the communion of saints that is in Barcelona.”

The Pope emphasized that the Church is “the fruit of an act of love that precedes and comes from God.” This means, he said, that the Church grows above all by allowing herself to be loved by Him, with a humble and grateful heart, “for only those who let themselves be loved by God can build, together with others, the works of love."

The body

Pope Leo XIV then turned to reflect on the second image: the Body.

We are all one body with Christ, the Pope observed, and, just as in a body, “there are members who are stronger and others who are weaker”.

Moreover, while some members of the Church “are visible, performing functions that are evident to the outside world,” others are hidden, “working from within — in some cases without ceasing and carrying out vital functions without anyone taking notice.”

In the face of such diversity, the Pope encouraged the faithful to prioritize unity: “We are strong because we are united, and we are united because we are animated by the same Spirit”.

In a world torn by wars and divisions, and in a society that is increasingly fragmented and individualistic, the Pope urged Christians to be ‘martyrs’—that is, he explained, “witnesses and prophets of unity, of welcome, of harmony and of peace, even at the cost of sacrifice and renunciation.”