Meeting with Puigdemont and defending Catalan in Brussels: Catalan redemption of Montserrat?

BarcelonaThe Visit of King Felipe VI to Montserrat still brewing in some sectors of the independence movement, but several actors in the movement remain in tune with the abbey. Some are grateful for the latest gestures, which have turned the page on the complex situation derived from the invitation to the Spanish monarchy at the monastery's millennium events—after the royal family wanted to be present. In any case, more than two months after the event with the head of state, the abbey has now held a reception for the Catalan nationalist. Canigó Award from the Catalan Summer University (UCE), in which the abbot, Manel Gasch, spoke of "Catalan Countries." Gasch also He met with former President Carles Puigdemont in Waterloo. this week, and He sent a message to the PP and the rest of the European Parliament., with the demand for the use of Catalan in the European Union, as "part of the identity" of the continent, within an exhibition on the monastery's millennium in which he implicitly rowed for official status in the EU. Has there been a Catalanist redemption of Montserrat?

Not everyone sees it the same way. Sources at the abbey maintain to ARA that there has been "no change" and deny that with these events they have intended to turn the page on the invitation to the king or seek any effect. They point out that Montserrat is doing what it has always done, acting "in favor of Catalan culture and identity," and add that this was the first time the abbot had been to Brussels and, furthermore, they believe it was natural to go and see the former president, according to them. They also remind us that "anyone who wants to invite people to the abbey or come is always welcome, but they must know where they are coming from and who they are inviting," to justify what they did at the European People's Party's (PP) presentation on the millennium. However, the president of the Spiritual League of Our Lady of Montserrat, Joan Maluquer, after his organization issued a statement "rejecting" the king's visit, considers the meeting with Puigdemont "significant" and believes that the latest actions "silence those who want to appropriate Montserrat," including Así. He expresses his gratitude for the gestures and concludes that it will remain a "symbol of Catalan identity." He also explains that relations with the abbey and Gasch are "excellent" and that they will always be "by the side of Montserrat."

Maluquer is also secretary and manager of the UCE (Union of the Spiritual League of Our Lady of Montserrat), which awarded the abbey in August. Although the monastery "had been singled out," the UCE determined that the award should be given to the abbey for the millennium, given "its trajectory" as a "beacon of the country and of faith." "We didn't find that a chapter we didn't share could affect the thousand-year trajectory," summarizes Maluquer. However, some church sources maintain that it is a "small Catalanist shift" to "provide an image to public opinion," which hasn't changed much, after the "attacks" it has received for having invited the king. But they believe that deep down the abbey still wants to "withdraw," to distance itself from the nationalist spirit and the political role against Francoism or the Trial. The abbot defended the Vanguard Forums a retreat from the role of the 60s and 70s, although the abbey points out that the commitment is cultural and identity-based, not one of "extreme vindication" and outside of ideologies.

In any case, Puigdemont himself spoke of the "honor" of having met and commented to X that they had been able to talk about the "humanist and Christian values that have made Montserrat a reference for so many generations" and "of the Catalan language and of Catalonia."

Change with the environment?

The abbey emphasizes that its language is not "political" and that it hasn't noticed any change in its relationship with its usual entities. It does want it to be understood that "the message is the same" as always. Now, just as relations with the League and the UCE are good, what is the relationship like with the rest of the sovereignty movement? Sources from Junts simply emphasize that the party "has always maintained fluid, discreet, and respectful relations with the Montserrat Abbey," while sources from the CUP comment that they have "no relationship whatsoever" with the abbey. In contrast, sources from ERC emphasize that the party has "very good relations with the abbey and with church institutions." The party and its president, Oriol Junqueras, "speak often," also due to their social and institutional influence. The Republican leader also attended the abbot's inauguration, met there months later, and there have been further meetings, in addition to visits to the monastery. Junqueras, however, had much closer contact with Fathers Hilari Raguer and Josep Massot, although he "will never stop taking Montserrat into account and being in tune with her," whom many activists see as "a pillar of the country," beyond the discomfort caused by the king's visit.

As for Òmnium, sources from the organization assert that "for years, it has maintained a cordial and fluid institutional relationship with the abbey" and that its president, Xavier Antich, "meets periodically, whenever necessary and the context requires it." In fact, the organization also "recognizes Montserrat's historic work in the national construction of a supportive, inclusive, and peaceful country." Likewise, sources from the Language Platform emphasize that they did not have a particularly "remarkable" relationship with the institution, but they agreed on some things. The latest case was that the monastery hosted the third seminar on the values of Catalan society on May 30th, with an examination of the latest survey of linguistic usage. The harshest criticism of the abbey was the ANC (National Action Party) for its "complicity" with the monarchy, but the organization declined to comment further to this newspaper.

Sources at the abbey indicate good relations with Òmnium and the Platform for the Language, and fluid ones with Puigdemont, Junqueras, and their parties. It is also true that they meet with everyone, and that during his visit to the European Parliament, the abbot spoke with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, with President Salvador Illa, and with MEPs Javi López (PSC) and Esteban González Pons (PP), who addressed the abbot in Catalan.