Barcelona is preparing a major security operation for Pope Leo XIV’s visit from 9 to 11 June, with about 6,100 officers assigned across the city and other Catalan locations. The plan includes 5,600 Mossos d’Esquadra officers and 500 Guàrdia Urbana officers, according to the Generalitat’s Minister of Interior and Public Security, Núria Parlon.
Parlon said the operation is designed to provide “integral security” and described it as one of the largest deployments in Catalonia. The plan is built around a Master Security Plan and eight priority areas, including protection for dignitaries, public events, traffic, airspace, intelligence, accreditation, public communication and cybersecurity.
From 8 June until the Pope leaves Catalonia, the Mossos d’Esquadra will run a 24-hour coordination centre at the Egara Central Complex. It will bring together staff from the Policía Nacional, Guardia Civil, the Royal Household, the Presidency and the Vatican Police, with operational decisions and incident monitoring handled from that point.
The police deployment will include the Citizen Security Unit, public order units, traffic teams, the Special Intervention Group, aerial units, canine units, explosives experts and underground agents. Officers will be stationed at Barcelona Cathedral, the Sagrada Família, the Olympic Stadium, Sant Agustí and the Episcopal Palace, which is expected to host an operational centre.
Security checks will also cover the route to the Sagrada Família, including the streets of Sardenya and Rosselló, where public order agents will monitor access to the Popemobile route. For the visits to Montserrat and the Brians 2 Penitentiary Centre in Sant Esteve de Sesrovires, the focus will be on access control, perimeter security and mobility management.
Parlon called the operation an “extraordinary operational challenge” because of its logistics and the current threat environment, which keeps the anti-terrorist alert level at 4 out of 5. Albert Batlle, the City Council’s Security Lieutenant, said Catalonia and Barcelona have experience with large events and expressed confidence in the coordination between services. For more Catalonia-wide coverage, see our news page.
