Overview

• Illa, accompanied by Justice Minister Ramon Espadaler and Spain's ambassador to the Holy See, Isabel Celaá, held a private audience with the Pope at 08:30 in the Vatican, according to the Catalan government.
• He formally invited León XIV to Barcelona for next year's Sagrada Família centenary events, including the planned inauguration of the Torre de Jesucristo.
• The meeting makes Illa the first Spanish and among the first European political leaders received by the new pontiff since his election in May 2025.
• Illa presented a suite of gifts that included a Sagrada Família tower replica, books, stoles made by inmates at Barcelona's Wad-Ras prison, bottles of olive oil from Catalan denominations of origin, and local charcuterie.
• The audience anchors a three-day visit to Rome featuring events linked to the Festival de Peralada and Montserrat's millenary, plus meetings with Lazio president Francesco Rocca, Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri, and a lecture at La Sapienza.