Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday blessed a giant new tower at Barcelona's famed Sagrada Familia Basilica after celebrating mass inside what is now the world's tallest church.
A fireworks. light show illuminated the exterior of the temple at the end of the ceremony, bathing the unfinished basilica in shifting colours that highlighted its towering spires.
A choir of 600 singers performed at the service which lasted around 90 minutes. was attended by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as well as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
The stained-glass windows in various colours shone brightly in between the tree-like columns of the basilica as Leo delivered his homily in Spanish, Catalan. Latin.
"We cannot believe in Jesus and promote war. We cannot believe in Jesus. kill the innocent," the pope said in a thinly veiled reference to US President Donald Trump's administration.
At the end of the service. the US-born pontiff blessed the Sagrada Familia's soaring central Jesus Christ tower which was completed in February, bringing the basilica to its maximum height of 172.5 metres (566 feet).
The peak deliberately falls short of the 177 metres (581 feet) of Barcelona's Montjuic hill -- an act of religious respect from Gaudi who believed the hill was the work of God.
The pope gazed up at the tower before sprinkling holy water towards it, then turned to the crowd to do the same as people applauded. cheered.
People crammed windows and on balconies all around the square to watch the scene.
"This cross shines by day, reflecting the sunlight,. shines by night, illuminating the city like a lighthouse overlooking the Mediterranean," the pope said in his homily.
Thousands of people attended the mass inside the building. while outside a huge crowd followed the ceremony on a giant screen installed in front of the Sagrada Familia.
"It seems memorable, something to remember," Isabel Magallón, a 60-year-old administrative worker, told AFP.
"I wanted to be at the event. I hesitated because of the crowds and everything, but I'm glad I came," she said.
The church is a still-unfinished modernist masterpiece by architect Antoni Gaudi. was visited by nearly five million people last year.
Construction work on the Sagrada Familia began in 1882 and full completion is expected in about a decade.
"To see the tower of the Sagrada Familia completed. blessed by the pope fills me with joy," said María del Carmen Guillaume, 80, who was among 4,000 local residents invited to attend the Mass.
The pope's visit during a week-long trip to Spain coincides with the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death on June 10. 1926. AFP
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