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Real Casa de Correos becomes global press centre for the Pope’s visit
Puerta del Sol will not merely be a thoroughfare during Leo XIV’s visit. For a week, Real Casa de Correos will become the major international press centre for the papal journey to Spain, with more than 2,200 accredited journalists and activity 24 hours a day.
The building, headquarters of the Presidency of the Community of Madrid, has been virtually emptied to adapt it for an unusual function: operating as a global newsroom in the heart of the city. The transformation will make it possible to accommodate national and international media between 6 and 12 June, coinciding with the Pope's itinerary through Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.
The operation includes around 700 workstations, radio booths, screens, LED panels, areas for photojournalists and rest spaces. Outside in Puerta del Sol, television sets and platforms for live broadcasts will also be installed, an image that will completely change the square's usual appearance.
The Real Casa de Correos will also be the point from which much of the news work will be coordinated. Journalists will gather there to be taken to different events, the institutional signal will be distributed, and updated information about the progress of the visit will be provided.
The logistical challenge is considerable. The organisation expects the presence of professionals from around thirty countries, with hundreds of foreign journalists following the pontiff's every move. Madrid will not only receive pilgrims and visitors: it will also be under the gaze of media from around the world.
The choice of Sol carries an obvious symbolic weight. The Real Casa de Correos is one of Madrid's most recognisable buildings and one of the Community's political centres. Turning it into the operational base for the international press reinforces the city's role as the main setting for the first days of the trip.
For Madrid residents, the change will be noticeable in the atmosphere of the city centre: more cameras, more accreditations, more live broadcasts and more movement around a square already accustomed to being a showcase. During those days, Puerta del Sol will not only mark kilometre zero. It will also be the place from which Spain tells the world about the Pope's visit.