Blanquerna looks up with the visit of Pope Leo XIV

The visit of Pope Leo XIV to Barcelona is already underway and reaches its final day today with a broad volunteer and communications coverage operation in which the Blanquerna university community is actively involved. More than 100 volunteers —students, faculty, and staff— are collaborating in different key locations across the city to support journalists and media outlets during this global event.

In the days leading up to the visit, the volunteers took part in several training sessions to learn more about the tasks they would carry out and the protocols they would need to follow during the operation. Among these sessions, on Friday, June 5, the volunteers assigned to the Sagrada Família attended a briefing session organized by the basilica itself. The meeting, held at the temple’s institutional entrance, helped prepare the volunteers and coordinate the different roles planned for today, June 10.

During the session, the volunteers’ specific duties were explained, along with the agenda planned at the Sagrada Família, the protocols and rules to be followed, and other important logistical and organizational instructions to ensure the smooth running of the operation.

Afterward, all Blanquerna volunteers took part in the training session “Communication and the Church: Basic Aspects for Covering the Visit of Pope Leo XIV to Barcelona,” led by Professor Jordi Llisterri, a journalist specializing in religion and director of the Fundació Catalunya Religió. The session provided tools and context to understand the different communicative, religious, and institutional dimensions of an event of this scope.

Also on Friday, June 5, the volunteers assigned to the International Press Center, located at Fira de Barcelona, took part in an initial information meeting at the offices of the Newlink agency in Barcelona. The aim of the meeting was to explain the details of the planned operation and answer participants’ questions before the start of their collaboration.

The International Press Center, with capacity for 1,500 journalists, is counting on students from the School of Communication and International Relations, who are supporting the accreditation process and assisting journalists and photojournalists from around the world covering the visit.

At the same time, the Blanquerna Observatory on Communication, Religion and Culture continues to respond to the many requests from media outlets interested in analyzing the different dimensions of this visit to the city. To strengthen this work, Blanquerna has activated around twenty faculty members from the institution so they can respond to media requests from their respective areas of expertise.