The security operation for the upcoming visit of Pope Leo XIV to Spain, which includes stops in Madrid, Catalonia, and the Canary Islands, has been named 'Operation Gracia'. This event will necessitate a historic police deployment, testing the nation's capacity to manage massive public gatherings.

While specific operational details remain confidential, the Ministry of the Interior and involved Government delegations have released figures for an unprecedented security rollout. The visit, spanning four provinces and multiple venues, many outdoors, will last six days. The 'critical' phase, encompassing the arrival in Madrid on Saturday and departure from Tenerife on Friday the 12th, will last 6 days, 4 hours, and 30 minutes.

The security plan, outlined in instruction 2/2026 signed by the Secretary of State for Security, Aina Calvo, establishes a common management framework. It anticipates the involvement of 11,000 national police officers, 2,200 civil guards, 4,000 officers from the Madrid Municipal Police, 5,600 from the Mossos d'Esquadra, approximately 500 from the Catalan Urban Guard, and 200 from the Canary Islands Police.

Sources close to the operation indicate that the National Police will lead the deployment, utilizing specialized units such as the Special Operations Group (GEO), along with personnel from the Citizen Security Units (UIP) and the Prevention and Reaction Unit (UPR). Cavalry, canine units, air support, and cyber patrol agents will also be involved in detecting threats, within the context of an enhanced Level 4 anti-terrorism alert.

The pontiff's security will include a close protection 'capsule' comprising the Pontifical Swiss Guard and plainclothes officers from the Central Protection Unit. Robust security perimeters will be established at the Apostolic Nunciature in Madrid and the episcopal palaces in Barcelona and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

At public events, expected to draw a million people in Plaza de Cibeles and thousands to the Sagrada Familia and in the Canary Islands, metal and explosive detectors will be installed. Supporting these checkpoints will be 450 cadets from the Police Academy in Ávila, alongside 2,100 future officers.

The operation is divided into four phases: 'preliminary', 'preventive' (both completed), 'alert' (with increased police presence), and the 'critical' phase, which will commence just before the Pope's arrival. This final phase will cover Madrid (June 6-9), Barcelona (June 9-11), and the Canary Islands (June 11-12).