St. George Crosses to "look at ourselves as a country and recognize our role models"

BarcelonaManel Gasch, abbot of Montserrat and president of the Pau Casals Foundation, skipped the screen of thank-you speeches. At the same time, he eradicated the false modesty that often appears in award ceremonies. At the ceremony for the Creus de Sant Jordi 2026, Gasch was one of those chosen to speak on behalf of the twenty personalities and ten awarded entities. At the end of the speech, and with the security learned in millennia-old liturgies, he explained an anecdote about a monk who, when he was 99 years old, and upon being distinguished as doctor honoris causa, said: "It would be very fitting now to say that I do not deserve it, but if I were to say it, I would make these gentlemen who have thought of me look very bad. Therefore, I will not say that I do not deserve it. Simply, I will give thanks for having been taken into account. So, thank you very much." This gratitude, a vitamin of self-esteem, made the other awardees smile, all ceremonially seated in the Oval Hall of the MNAC, " a flagship space of the country's culture", as the Minister of Culture, Sònia Hernández Almodóvar, who acted as host alongside the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, said. Among those present were the president of the Parliament, Josep Rull, and three former presidents of the Generalitat: José Montilla, Artur Mas, and Pere Aragonès.

The abbot of Montserrat had begun the speech with a quote from Pau Casals in tune with Spiderman: "The more outstanding a person's value, the more their responsibility for their actions increases." In this way, he brought together all the recipients of the Creu de Sant Jordi, because "it is intelligent to have role models who exemplify the responsibility with which each person has tried to do their job and highlight an attitude towards life that, despite referring to an important past trajectory, continues for almost all awardees." "And I say almost because there are three posthumous Creus de Sant Jordi," he added, recalling 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 addressed, because as a writer of children's and young adult literature and a television screenwriter, she is a true role model in building a "Catalan collective imaginary" in which "the good, the bad, and those who don't fit in anywhere" are represented. "When I was little, I thought that the village festival 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 delivering 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 it," he said before wishing a happy Sant Jordi.

Creus de Sant Jordi 2026

• Ramon Alberch, archivist and historian
• Carmen Armengol, co-founder of Grup Som Via
• Victoria Camps, philosopher
• Maite Carranza, writer and screenwriter
• María Àngels Domingo, ceramist and painter
• Joan Fontcuberta, artist
• Salah Jamal, doctor, historian and writer Salah Jamal
• Enric Majó, actor
• Roser Marcé, fashion designer
• Jordi Miquel Martí, honorary president of Moventia
• Silvia Munt, actress
• Julia Otero, journalist
• María Luisa Solà, voice actress
• Ernestina Torelló and Miguel Agustín Torres, wine entrepreneurs
• Anna Vallès, president of the Sorigué group and the Sorigué Foundation
• Ignasi Vila, researcher in psychology and education
• Fermí Puig, chef (posthumously)
• Enric Morist, educator and social activist (posthumously)
• Josep Rius, theologian (posthumously)
• Urgell Flower Choral Group
• Benisanet Music Band
• Official College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia
• Santa María de Puigcerdà Chapel Choir
• Ernest Lluch Foundation
• Pau Casals Foundation
• Solivella Women's Cultural Group
• Calaf Shepherds
• We Accompany You
• University of Barcelona