Cardinal Carlos Cobo states Pope Leo XIV’s likely Spain visit, Gaudí centenary events, and Cuelgamuros debate.
Newsdesk (24/12/2025 Gaudium Press) Cardinal Carlos Cobo, the vice president of Spain’s Episcopal Conference, signaled what he described as a likely trajectory for next year: a papal visit to Spain that could include Barcelona in June for the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, the Catalan architect on the path to sainthood. Speaking on Cadena COPE, Cobo urged the public to “get ready” as discussions about the Pope’s June itinerary intensify. He warned that the timing and format are still being finalized, but he asserted that a visit to Madrid is highly probable and stressed that preparations should be set in motion now.
The Catalan capital would host a centerpiece event: Gaudí’s centenary, coupled with the anticipated inauguration of the central Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família on June 10 next year. The basilica, though still under construction, has already reached a world-record height of 162.91 meters as of October 2024 and is on track to reach its planned 172-meter pinnacle upon completion. Last April, Pope Francis elevated Gaudí to Venerable, a significant step toward canonization, a process the Vatican formally opened in 2003.
Cobo did not shy away from broader tensions surrounding Spain’s church-state negotiations, notably the Valley of Cuelgamuros—formerly the Valley of the Fallen. He criticized critics who framed the negotiations as ideological battles, arguing that the church’s share of the monument’s future design remains carefully defined. He described a process that has evolved through multiple rounds of dialogue among the government, the Spanish Episcopal Conference, the Apostolic Nunciature, the Madrid Archdiocese, the monks, and the Holy See. According to Cobo, the current phase grants a leading role to the monks and the Holy See, with an emphasis on protecting worship and maintaining the basilica’s religious signs while ensuring independent access to interior spaces.
Separately, Cobo weighed in on a contemporaneous humanitarian concern: the eviction of 400 people from an abandoned school building in Badalona, Catalonia. He joined his fellow Catalan bishops in condemning the wintertime eviction, calling the decision painful for its visible hardship and for highlighting gaps in policy on homelessness and undocumented migrants. He argued that Spain has yet to adopt a comprehensive legal framework to address homelessness and migrant regularization, noting that proposals discussed with political parties remain unresolved in draft drawers.
In a broader arc, Cobo framed the church as a stabilizing voice amid rising polarization in Spanish society. He urged a return to a shared sense of honor and mutual recognition, insisting that the Church can guide Spaniards toward a renewed consensus rather than deepening divisions. As Madrid contemplates next year’s papal visit and Barcelona readies for Gaudí’s centenary, the church’s leadership appears intent on balancing ceremonial grandeur with practical governance and humanitarian-safety concerns that touch Spain’s most vulnerable populations.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
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