The Barcelona City Council has decided to grant the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium free of charge to Pope Leo XIV so that he can hold his major event in the city. PSC, PP, and Junts voted in favor. Comuns and ERC voted against. The arguments for offering this municipal space for free are that the Pope's visit generates “a maximum public and general interest”. I'm not saying no, but Rosalía does too, and it also touches on religious themes, and as far as I know...
They also say that the pontiff's visit will bring the visit of "thousands of people". Like Rosalía. And in Barcelona, you understand, we have this visit of outsiders guaranteed all year round, without Rosalía or the Pope. But apart from the riff-raff who will come to see us with a pious excuse, we will also have the visit of "civil, religious, and institutional authorities", who, obviously, justify the event's gratuity. They are needy people. Of money and events. Honestly, there is as little imagination in the arguments as in political campaigns. Not even a little effort is made to seduce atheists so they can see it in a good light. Of course, it's difficult to convince atheists that anything related to religion can be beneficial to anyone. And even more so to make them believe that the event is of a "non-profit" nature when we all know that, precisely the Catholic Church, with its headquarters in the Vatican, has profited, profits, and continues to profit. Because no matter how progressive the current Pope is, or the previous one, or those who died suddenly, hierarchies, sexism, and pedophilia remain, which are difficult to subsidize. Not to mention that when the City Council says that the spectacle will be free for the Pope, it means that the expenses of the event will be borne by the people of Barcelona: security, maintenance, and cleaning. Because we already know that one can be Catholic and dirty at the same time. And yes, I would find it equally wrong if the religion were not Catholic. Any gathering of believers should not be subsidized by a non-denominational city, but it is evident that this decision explains very well what the institutional relationship with religion is and how far we are, still, from the separation of powers. Because many people think that the Church is not what it used to be, but the Church is in good enough shape to pay for its own gatherings. The Pope can come whenever he wants, because for some, freedom of movement exists, and as the supreme leader of his religion, he can invite whomever he pleases, but for Barcelona to sponsor the event, there is an abyss. Even if the city's emblem is the Sagrada Família, a monument that is also debatable, starting with its name and ending with the cranes. Even if PSC, PP, and Junts are so excited about the visit. Barcelona should not sponsor any religion. And we should know exactly why this bias is happening, because the arguments put forward serve for many other events that have not been subsidized and will not be. Because if we talk about spirituality, for some it can come through the visit of the Pope, which I don't doubt, but I don't share it, for others with Barça, which is also a religion, or for many with a good concert. If we talk about visits from all over the world and authorities, any of these examples can fit. But only one has hit the jackpot. And if the Pope were to travel in a Formula 1 car, I imagine the council's joy would be double.
I agree that it is impossible to please everyone, but to pay for this party... for God's sake!
