RESIDENTS in Barcelona are being warned to expect severe travel disruption over the coming days as the city prepares for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV.
The pontiff is scheduled to touch down at Barcelona El-Prat airport just after midday on Tuesday ahead of a jam-packed two-day stay in the Catalan capital.
After arriving, the Pope is expected to head to Barcelona Cathedral, the neo-gothic seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona located in the district of Ciutat Vella.
Once there, he will deliver a short sermon to local clergy and seminarians, before descending into the cathedral’s crypt to pray at the tomb of Saint Eulalia – the city’s patron saint.
On Tuesday afternoon, Leo will visit Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, where he will lead a mass in front of around 40,000 worshippers.
The following day, the Pope will spend the morning talking to inmates at Brian prison before visiting Montserrat monastery.
Tens of thousands of congregants are then expected to line the streets that evening to cheer and wave as the pontiff passes through in his iconic ‘popemobile’, the name given to a specially-designed car used by the Pope for public appearances across the world.
He will head to Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia to bless and inaugurate the church’s Tower of Jesus Christ.
In February, the upper arm of the 17-metre-tall cross that sits atop the tower was winched into position by crane, bringing the basilica to its final height of 172.5 metres.
Wednesday’s ceremony will also commemorate the centenary of the death of its master architect, Antoni Gaudi.
King Felipe, Queen Letzia, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez and Catalan president Salvador Illa are all due to attend.
Traffic restrictions began on Monday with road closures around Barcelona Cathedral.
These will expand on Tuesday to the El Raval neighbourhood, remaining in place until Wednesday night.
Pedestrian access will also be limited at the busiest times.
All vehicle access to Montjuic will be closed from midday ahead of Tuesday evening’s event – set to include a range of musical performances varying from gospel choirs to rumba.
Shuttle buses will be used to transport attendees to the stadium, with authorities putting on increased metro services at the beginning and end of the event.
Wednesday will bring severe disruption in Barcelona’s Eixample district, including the closure of more than 1km of Carrer Rossello between Carrer Sardenya and Diagonal.
A large security perimeter will also be implemented from Wednesday morning until the early hours of Thursday, with restrictions placed on traffic and parking.
More than 40 bus lines and four metro routes will be diverted to avoid the affected area, with Sagrada Familia metro station remaining closed all day.
“The city is very well prepared,” said Xavier Paton, head of Barcelona City Council’s Economic Promotion department and co-ordinator of the municipal operation for the Pope’s visit,
“It has handled intense moments before, such as Dia de Sant Jordi when everyone takes to the streets.”
Authorities estimate that around 70,000 residents will line the streets to welcome the Pope, who is the first leader of the Catholic Church to tour Spain in 15 years.
That is well below the more than 1.2 million people who flooded the streets of Madrid on Sunday morning to catch a glimpse of the pontiff, who held an open-air mass with worshippers at the capital’s Plaza de Cibeles.
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