Major donors offered meeting with Pope to fund apostolic visit to Spain

It is unclear whether the administrations in Madrid and Barcelona will also contribute to the final costs, which will depend on the precise details of Pope Leo’s itinerary.

The Catholic Church in Spain plans to fund the estimated €15 million cost of Pope Leo’s visit in June partially through a sponsorship scheme offering the largest donors a meeting with the Pope.

A “major benefactor” contributing between €500,000 and €1 million will be assigned a seat in large public events during the papal visit on 6-12 June.

They may also participate in “a working session” with Vatican officials and benefit from tax reductions as well as enjoying “a personal meeting” with Pope Leo, according to a 17-page document first reported on the Spanish website Religión Digital.

According to the dossier sent by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference to large businesses and investors, a donation of €1,000 will secure the donor classification as a “friend” who will be granted “an official certificate” from the organisers of the visit, ratifying their financial contribution.

The dossier is signed by Fernando Giménez Barriocanal, vice-secretary for financial matters at the Spanish Bishops’ Conference. Responding to questions over the sponsorship – also reported by the Spanish daily El País – he said that “individuals” involved in papal visits elsewhere had met the Pope.

“Spain is not an exception,” he said. “[The visit] is a social and economic investment,” Barriocanal added, referring to the “hundreds of thousands” expected to descend upon Madrid during the weekend of Pope Leo’s visit. He estimated they would bring €100 million to the capital.

Meanwhile, the president of the Canary Islands announced it would pay €500,000 towards the cost of Pope Leo’s two-day visit to Tenerife and the island of Gran Canaria.

In a statement the Spanish police said that they would cover security in the Canary Islands where the Pope will conclude his Spanish visit.

It is unclear whether the administrations in Madrid and Barcelona will also contribute to the final costs, which remain uncertain.

The Church’s committee for the apostolic journey said it had estimated a budget of at least €15 million because it is awaiting confirmation of the exact details of the Pope’s itinerary in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

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