Presenter: Paola Arriaza Flynn
Shooters: Alessio Di Cintio and Anthony Johnson
On June 10th, 2026, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at the Sagrada Família in Barcelona — becoming only the third Pope to enter the basilica — and blessed the Tower of Jesus Christ, now the tallest church tower in the world. His visit coincides with the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudí's death.
In this special report, EWTN Vatican journalist Paola Arriaza Flynn takes you inside one of the most extraordinary buildings in human history: a basilica that has been under construction for over 140 years, and that continues to move millions of visitors to tears, silence, and faith.
We speak with Jordi Faulí, the chief architect leading the final phase of construction, who reveals how Gaudí's original vision is being brought to life — stone by stone. We walk the streets of Barcelona's Gothic Quarter with architect and Gaudí researcher Chiara Curti, retracing the path the architect walked every single day until the tragic accident that took his life in 1926. And we sit down with 94-year-old Father Lluís Bonet, whose father was a direct disciple of Gaudí and who has spent his entire life at the basilica — including the day Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it in 2010.
We also visit a local parish in the shadow of the Sagrada Família, where something unexpected is happening: young people are returning to the faith in growing numbers, drawn by a hunger for meaning in a fast-paced world.
From the crypt where Gaudí is buried, to the forest of stone columns that reach toward the light, to the stained-glass windows that bathe the nave in color — this is the story of a building that is more than architecture. It is a confession of faith in stone.