Felipe VI lands in Montserrat: "It is the great meeting point of Catalan, Spanish, and European culture."

MontserratKing Felipe VI landed in Catalonia this Monday to visit the Montserrat Abbey, a symbol of Catalan nationalism and where the country's patron saint is venerated. This visit has caused unrest among Catholic Catalans and the independence movement. In fact, his landing—by helicopter—including a prayer to the Moreneta (the Virgin Mary), sparked a protest outside the monastery by a few hundred people summoned by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), who were unable to even approach the basilica due to the absolute protection of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police). The king came to participate in an event commemorating the institution's millennium and to win the sympathy of the Catalan people with a speech delivered mostly in their own language, in which he also criticized "exclusionary identities" and "extremism." He also presented Montserrat as a symbol of Spanish identity. Aware that "its symbolic value transcends its enormous religious dimension," he hailed the abbey as "a great meeting point for our culture: Catalan, Spanish, and European."

The institutional reception took place a room away, in the monastery's private gardens. This wasn't the place where the reception was scheduled, but rather the square in front of the basilica, where there are some traveler residences where the independence movement has placed several esteladas on the balconies. The Father Abbot of Montserrat, Manel Gasch, warmly welcomed the monarch, who was accompanied by the President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, and the Minister of Industry, Jordi Hereu, among others.

With the aim of rebuilding the link with Catalonia after the rift in a part of society following his speech on October 3, 2017, the king has vindicated the link between the monarchy and the abbey due to the harmony and numerous visits "from James I the Conqueror to the Kings, great-grandparents and parents. "Today we do it, for the first time also as kings," he pointed out. In his speech, he has also been forceful in pointing out some enemies that he has not identified: "Let us be constant in renouncing totalitarian discourses, exclusionary identities, prejudices, extremism and pretensions of moral superiority," he said.

For his part, Abbot Gasch has vindicated "the Catalan count family", as well as pillars of Catalan self-government in the period of medieval splendor. Praising the abbot Oliba, founder of the monastery a thousand years ago, emphasized the importance of the assemblies of Pau and Treva, "a pioneering element of a certain democracy in the medieval Cortes" to which "Pau Casals referred in his speech at the UN." He also spoke for a moment about Catalan identity: "We have been stable in Catalan culture, we have accompanied the language," he said in a speech almost entirely in Catalan.

Protests

The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) shielding of the monastery did not prevent the whistling of several hundred people from outside the basilica, in front of the rack railway. In fact, there was a back-and-forth with the police, resulting in around fifteen people being identified and one person being reported, accused of assaulting an officer. The protester's account is that he was helping an elderly man who fell to the ground after being pushed by the officers. In any case, the organization has defended its protest by having "turned the mountain of Montserrat, a symbol of Catalan nationalism, into a show of resistance against the Bourbon crown." The ANC also lamented the fact that half a dozen national secretaries were detained at Montserrat without being able to leave, in addition to an alleged seizure of esteladas (flags) by the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police), which did not occur when the ARA (Argentine National Guard) arrived just after 9:00 a.m.

The police action has prompted Junts to demand the appearance of the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, due to "the disproportionate actions of the Mossos d'Esquadra," in the words of the president of the Junta group in Parliament, Albert Batet.

An example of this security measure is that, early in the morning, the Mossos d'Esquadra blocked access to anyone who hadn't made a reservation or hadn't stayed overnight, such as the President of the Council of the Republic, Jordi Domingo, who had slept in. They also banned visitors as the time for the authorities' arrival drew near. The Mossos d'Esquadra held back protesters who tried to pass the police barrier, including Junts MP Francesc de Dalmases, pushing them back amid shouts of "Abat botifler."

Former President Carles Puigdemont also criticized the monarchs' visit: "The Spanish monarchs' self-invitation to Montserrat is a provocation, and they know it. It's part of the plan to Spanish-ize the country, and they are aware of this both in Madrid and on both sides of the Plaza de Sant Jaume, who are collaborating enthusiastically," he added.

ERC president Oriol Junqueras was also emphatic: "The king's visit to Montserrat is disrespectful to Catalonia [...] We reject this gesture," he asserted.

Rebuilding ties: the monarchy's goal

Abbot Gasch invited the king after the request of the King's House to attend some millennial event, as already explained by AHORAAn invitation that has upset the Spiritual League of the Virgin of Montserrat, but also the president of the ANC, Lluís Llach, who criticized the abbot: "We don't understand your attitude," he said. He justified the gathering so that Felipe VI "can't walk around normally" after choosing in 2017 to "encourage repression against our people."