Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'The emotion of Montserrat'

After a weekend of diverse popular emotions (the burial of Pope Francis, the Barça wins the Cup in the Seville final and the Montserrat procession), this morning the harsh reality returns in the form of three important decisions.

The first, BBVA's takeover bid for Banc Sabadell. According to reports The NewspaperThe National Competition Market Commission plans to approve the takeover bid this week, "with reinforced but acceptable conditions for the Basque bank." And if this is the case, the final decision to authorize the takeover will rest in the hands of Pedro Sánchez's government. Reasons for opposition? Neither Isla's government in the Generalitat, nor Junts or Esquerra, on whom Sánchez depends in Congress, nor the Catalan society they seek to "normalize," like the takeover bid. Reasons in favor of authorizing it? Political interference in a market issue would damage Spain's image of legal security among international investors.

Two, amnesty. The reason He stated today that the TC lawyers who are to draft the report have already finished drafting it and that they will endorse the amnesty.

And three, the entities by language prepare for a unfavorable ruling by the Constitutional Court on Catalan in schools which, according to legal sources told ARA, will overturn the Aragonès government's decree that prevented the establishment of percentages of Spanish in schools. The final outcome of the ruling is uncertain, but, in any case, the social use of Catalan is under attack; there is no Pact for the Language in sight, even though the PSC, Junts, Esquerra, Comuns, and CUP hold a large majority in Parliament. Be careful, because if schools do their job in primary school, which is to convert all students into Catalan speakers, regardless of their background, but then Catalan isn't necessary to earn a living in Catalonia, we're wasting time and cheating ourselves. The problem is urgent.

Look at the observation that Alex Gutierrez makes today in the Stop Machines. Audiences for the Cup final in CataloniaTV3 34.9%. TVE: 30.1%. Two hypotheses to explain TV3's narrow victory: that TV3 struggles to reach new audiences, that language has been a barrier for a third of people living in Catalonia. TV, or language, and therefore the country, Gutiérrez concludes, may be weaker than we think.

Meanwhile, the statue of the Virgin of Montserrat was once again carried in procession yesterday along the monastery esplanade, in a Millennium event attended by some five thousand people. The procession had not been held in this 21st century. And in the 20th century, it was held twice, so it was a big celebration. As for how the morning went, I'll leave you with the end of Empar Moliner's chronicle:

"A woman is crying. But there are many people crying, sitting there in the sun. Some silently, desolately, or in awe, and others noisily, outside. Their emotion, which I would like to feel, moves me." They cry when they connect with memories of their parents, or grandparents, or their own childhood. They cry for the sum of the sawed-off mountain, Moreneta, Virolai and Catalan identity, or because we have more spiritual thirst than it seems (as was also seen in Rome, with the burial of Pope Francis), for whatever reason. But the emotion experienced yesterday in Montserrat reminds us that the country is alive. The key, always, is to believe it and go.

Good morning.