El Papa le regala un rosario a Valentina, una niña de 13 años invidente: '¡Lo guardaré para siempre!'
El Papa le regala un rosario a Valentina, una niña de 13 años invidente: '¡Lo guardaré para siempre!'
Pope Leo XIV gave 13-year-old Valentina Sánchez a personalized rosary after she spent three minutes explaining the Tower of Jesus Christ to him — using only her hands. The girl, who is blind from birth, touched a 1.20-meter tactile model of the tower and walked the Pope through every detail El Periódico.
Valentina was so moved she cried out: "¡Lo guardaré para siempre!" — "I will keep it forever!" The moment came on June 10, 2026, just before Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass to officially inaugurate the Sagrada Família's completed Tower of Jesus Christ in Barcelona Europa Press.
A Blind Girl Explains a Tower With Her Hands
Valentina was born with Leber Congenital Amaurosis. It is a condition that lets her see only light and shadow. She has been a member of Spain's national blind organization, ONCE, since she was just eight months old Servimedia. Despite this, she spent three minutes guiding the Pope — and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who were also present — through the architecture of the world's newly tallest church.
Enric Botí, ONCE's delegate in Catalonia, organized the event with a clear goal. He said: "The objective was for her to explain the tower as any blind person would — through touch... accessing culture on equal terms" Servimedia. King Felipe VI reportedly congratulated Valentina on her accuracy and poise Europa Press.
The Pope Thanks Valentina for Her 'Light' and 'Beautiful Hands'
After Valentina finished her explanation, she gave the Pope a drawing she had made. Leo XIV then gave her the rosary in return. He told her he was grateful for her "light" and the "beauty of her hands" Antena 3. Journalists on the scene noted the Pope broke from his tight security protocol to linger with Valentina and other children, reportedly moving even security guards to tears.
Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago and is in his second year as Pope, had arrived in Barcelona earlier that evening at 7:15 PM. The meeting with Valentina lasted just a few minutes in an adjacent courtyard. Then, at 7:30 PM, he began the solemn Mass to bless the completed tower Heraldo de Aragón.
The World's Tallest Church Is Finally Complete
The Tower of Jesus Christ stands at 172.5 meters — about 566 feet — making the Sagrada Família officially the tallest church in the world OSV News. The inauguration on June 10 also marked exactly 100 years since the death of architect Antoni Gaudí, who died in 1926. That centenary was the driving force behind the push to finish construction on time AP.
With the tower complete, the Sagrada Família is projected to see a 20 to 30 percent rise in global visitors El País. ONCE also announced plans to expand tactile programs — like the model Valentina used — to all major Spanish monuments, setting a new standard for accessibility at heritage sites Servimedia.
Visit Tied to Pope's Push for Human Dignity and Inclusion
The meeting was no accident. It fits squarely with Leo XIV's encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, released in May 2026. The document urges human connection over digital isolation and puts human dignity at the center of modern life Vatican News. Letting a blind 13-year-old girl guide him through a great cathedral was a clear, visible act of that message.
The broader visit to Spain began on June 6, when the Pope landed at Madrid-Barajas Airport. King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and President Pedro Sánchez received him. He also stopped at the Abbey of Montserrat, which draws 2 million visitors a year, before heading to Barcelona AP. But it was the three minutes with Valentina that captured the world's attention.
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