Barcelona's Sagrada Família — under construction for 144 years — was officially blessed by Pope Leo XIV on June 10, 2026, and is now the world's tallest church at 172.5 metres.

A building started in 1882 just hit a milestone no one alive had ever seen. The Washington Post and NBC News report that on June 10, 2026, Pope Leo XIV blessed the newly completed Tower of Jesus Christ at Barcelona's Sagrada Família — making it the world's tallest church at 172.5 metres (566 ft). Construction began 144 years ago, and architect Antoni Gaudí — who devoted 43 years of his life to it — died in 1926 never seeing it finished. The ceremony marked 100 years since Gaudí's death. Source in first comment.