The photos that neither embarrass Salvador Illa nor the president of the Spanish bishops

MadridDuring his visit to Madrid last year to celebrate the Diada, Salvador Illa sent a clear message. With him as president of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Catalonia will not renounce occupying any space or establishing any relationship with state institutions, as the independence movement had done. He demonstrated this then with a meeting with King Felipe VI at the Zarzuela Palace, after nine years of government snubs, and he did so again this year by approaching the Spanish Episcopal Conference, chaired by the conservative Luis Argüello, known for his strong criticism of Pedro Sánchez. The Catalan socialist leader spoke for an hour with Argüello at the invitation of the Pablo VI Foundation and the Comillas Pontifical University, in a public event that its organizers have hailed as "a gateway to hope that we can move forward in harmony, civic responsibility, and faith in a context of political polarization."

To promote the establishment of some point of agreement between both, which in the political analysis no one expected to arrive despite starting to dialogue - months ago Argüello, also archbishop of Valladolid, openly calls for elections in Spain–, the moderator of the conversation turned to football and religion. Both are practicing Catholics and rival teams of Barça. "Real Madrid and Espanyol have always understood each other well," joked the director general of the Pablo VI Foundation, Javier Avezuela. Indeed, Isla and Argüello understood each other well regarding the generic methods and reflections against the "polarization" of society and this "need for dialogue," and they did not clash because they tiptoed around potentially thorny issues. The president of the Spanish bishops did not mention Sánchez, although he emphasized that "political polarization," which Isla also lamented, "does not come like an unexpected downpour from the sky" but is a "strategy." "I question it when it is used as a means to obtain electoral results," he said.

Illa has pointed out that "one cannot deny the other" and has claimed that, in his case, he has practiced it by "thanking the work" of all his predecessors at the Palau de la Generalitat. In this sense, Isla has defended the meeting he held in Brussels with Carles Puigdemont. "But how can I ask citizens to live together if I am not capable of meeting with the leader of the second-largest party in my country?" he asked. Argüello also stated that, as much as he remains firm in his positions, he is not afraid of associating with representatives of any ideology. "I take a photograph with Isla where a few months ago I took one with [Santiago] Abascal and I am not ashamed of either of them," argued Argüello, who has criticized that the media, on the contrary, can later describe him as both "the red of the 70s" and "the fascist of the 21st century."

A statement that drew applause from the audience, which included members of the Church, some recognizable by their Roman collars, as well as members of the organizing cultural and educational institutions, religious in scope, as well as students. Two young men, one with a crucifix on his chest, approached both Isla and Argüello at the end of the event to ask for photographs. Both are from the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and Catholic. One explained to ARA that they admire Isla for the fact that he combines these two perspectives and for the conciliatory tone he deploys when discussing issues that can be controversial in Madrid. "Sometimes it pains me that proposals that come from the Catalan sphere, just because of where they come from, are viewed with suspicion. I ask that things be judged by their content," Illa complained.

After the conversation with Argüello, Illa will hold private meetings—his entourage hasn't revealed who they will be with, as he's in the midst of negotiations over funding with the ERC—and will meet in the afternoon with the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas. In the evening, he will preside over the institutional event for the Diada in the Spanish capital, which will take place at the Blanquerna Cultural Center.