When Pope Leo XIV visited the Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, to celebrate Mass and inaugurate the Tower of Jesus, he was welcomed by 13-year-old Valentina Sánchez, a blind girl.
Valentina explained to the Pope, as well as to the King and Queen of Spain, how she “sees with her heart” the tallest tower of the Sagrada Família. The tower, completed earlier this year, is the highest of the basilica’s 14 towers.
Using information she had gathered through touch, Valentina described the tower’s structure, shapes and dimensions. By exploring objects with her hands, she has learned to understand and imagine their form. The encounter was particularly moving for the Pope.
A representative of Spain’s National Organisation of the Blind (ONCE) said that, shortly before the meeting, Valentina was excited and enthusiastic but not intimidated by the prospect of meeting one of the world’s most important figures.
Valentina lives with a condition that allows her to distinguish only between light and darkness. ONCE has supported her education since her condition was diagnosed when she was just one year old.
She lives near the Sagrada Família and is currently in her first year of secondary school. Like more than 7,000 other students with similar conditions, she receives support from ONCE to attend mainstream classes alongside her peers. She also studies at Barcelona’s Educational Resource Centre to further her education.
Valentina is learning to play the violin and hopes one day to become an interpreter and concert performer. Her hobbies include travelling with her family and reading books in Braille. In fact, her teacher, Ramon Coma, says that she “devours books”, reading them tirelessly and with great enthusiasm.
The connection between Valentina’s family and the Sagrada Família goes beyond the fact that they live in the district where construction of the basilica has been ongoing for more than a century. Her father, Francisco, a professional engineer, worked on the basilica for several years.
He once shared a dream with his daughter: “One day we will see the Sagrada Família together when it is finished.” Although that day is still some way off, they were able to experience part of that dream during the Pope’s visit, when they attended together as he blessed the tower.
Valentina presented the Pope with a drawing she had created, showing how she “sees” the Tower of Jesus. It is a vision not of the eyes, but of the heart. And it is with her heart that Valentina sees the Tower of Jesus.
Joe Galea
SDC Member
