The pope will consecrate Sagrada Familia when visiting Barcelona.

On Sunday November 7, the church designed by Antonio Gaudí in Barcelona will receive the basilica designation for its monumental and artistic character.

Benedict XVI, from Santiago de Compostela, will come to Barcelona to attend the consecration of the Temple Sagrada Familia and visit the charity organization Nen Déu (Baby Jesus), which specializes in the care for disabled children.

At nine o’clock on Sunday the pope, in his popular Popemobile, will drive along several of Barcelona’s big streets until reaching Sagrada Familia where he will meet with the king and queen of Spain. Meanwhile, outside on the adjoining streets and squares, thousands of people will gather to watch the ceremony from 22 enormous screens.

At noon, after mass, and as he does every Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope will recite the Angelus, but this time from the facade of the Sagrada Familia, as his predecessor John Paul II.

This is the second visit of a pope to Barcelona. The first one was in 1982 when John Paul II visited the basilica of Montserrat and the Sagrada Familia, in addition to giving a speech at Montjuic and officiate a crowded Mass at the FC Barcelona stadium.