Blanquerna prepares for the visit of Pope Leo XIV

Blanquerna continues to prepare the volunteer and media coverage operation for the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Barcelona. Throughout this week, more than 100 volunteers from the university community —students, faculty, and administrative and service staff—have been called to several training sessions to familiarize themselves with the tasks they will carry out and the protocols to follow during the days of the visit.

This Friday, June 5, the volunteers assigned to the Sagrada Família participated in a briefing session organized by the basilica itself. The meeting took place at the institutional entrance of the temple and served to properly prepare the volunteers and coordinate the different roles they will carry out on June 10.

During the session, the specific roles of the volunteers were explained, along with the scheduled agenda at the Sagrada Família, the protocols and rules to follow, as well as other important logistical and organizational guidelines to ensure the smooth running of the operation.

Next, all the volunteers from Blanquerna participated 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 Catalonia Religion Foundation. The session provided tools and context to understand the different communicative, religious, and institutional dimensions of an event of this magnitude.

Also this Friday, the volunteers assigned to the International Press Center, located at the Fira de Barcelona, were called to an initial informational meeting at the offices of the Newlink agency in Barcelona. The purpose of the meeting was to explain the details of the planned operation and answer any questions from the participants before the start of their collaboration.

The International Press Center, with a capacity for 1,500 journalists, will feature students from the School of Communication and International Relations, who will provide support with the accreditation and assistance of journalists and photojournalists arriving from all over the world to cover the visit.

At the same time, the Blanquerna Observatory on Communication, Religion and Culture continues to respond to the multiple requests from media outlets interested in analyzing the different dimensions of this visit to the city. To reinforce this effort, Blanquerna has mobilized about twenty teaching and research staff members from the institution so they can respond to media requests from their respective areas of expertise.