Saint George's Day to "look at ourselves as a country and recognize our references"

BarcelonaManel Gasch, abbot of Montserrat and president of the Pau Casals Foundation, has bypassed the usual thank you speeches. At the same time, he has eliminated the false modesty that often appears at award ceremonies. At the ceremony for the awarding of the

The Abbot of Montserrat had begun his speech with a quote from Pau Casals in harmony with Spiderman: "The more a person's value is outstanding, the more the responsibility for their actions increases." In this way, he gathered all the recipients of the Creu de Sant Jordi, because, "it is intelligent to have role models who set an example of the responsibility with which each person has tried to do their job and emphasize an attitude towards life that, despite referring to an important past trajectory, continues for almost all the awardees." "And I say almost because there are three posthumous Creus de Sant Jordi," he added, remembering the chef Fermí Puig, the educator and social activist Enric Morist, and the theologian Josep Rius.

Just before, the Minister of Culture had referred to the event as a moment to "stop, look at ourselves, and recognize our role models" and thank them. Maite Carranza, the other awardee who spoke on behalf of the rest, could feel alluded to, because as a writer of children's and young adult literature and a television screenwriter, she is a benchmark in the construction of a "Catalan collective imaginary" in which "the good, the bad, and those who don't fit anywhere" are represented. "When I was little, I thought that the vigil and bread with tomato had no place in books," recalled Carranza, an author who has participated in "two small revolutions, that of Catalan children's and young adult literature and that of Catalan television fiction." "A country without a collective imaginary, without young people and without hope, doesn't just stop, it disappears," she added.

Finally, Salvador Illa closed the event by quoting the poet Josep Piera ("Every voice deserves to be loved") and reading a well-crafted speech to mention all the awardees and highlight the importance of "preserving collective bonds" now that "reactionary movements want to replace humanism with fear." He also recalled that the Creus de Sant Jordi represent "a country based on creativity and coexistence, with plurality and collective enthusiasm, and open to the world, not closed in on itself." According to Illa, "it is shown that, despite the critical moments the world is experiencing, nothing is inevitable, everything can be improved." "It is in our hands to do so," he said before wishing a happy Sant Jordi.