Omella confirms that the Pope will speak Catalan at the Sagrada Familia

BarcelonaAfter the controversy generated by the publication of the missal in which Catalan was excluded from the blessing of the tower of Jesus of the Sagrada Família, steps were taken within the Catalan episcopate to convey to Pope Leo XIV that Catalan should also be used there, as ARA reported. This Thursday, the cardinal archbishop of Barcelona, Joan Josep Omella, confirmed at the Càritas Barcelona press conference that the Pope "will speak in Catalan" at this event, and also in Spanish. That is to say, the Holy See has agreed to listen to the plea of the Catalan bishops. Textually, Omella commented that he "will bless a part in Catalan": "He will speak Catalan as far as he can reach," he stated.

The archbishop stated that the pontiff "will make the effort": "I know this personally, this controversy was unnecessary, the Pope knows from the first moment that Catalan is spoken here and he prepared his speeches, part of them in Catalan," he concluded. He even highlighted that he knows "positively that he is rehearsing the reading in Catalan." At the same time, he regretted that "some people like to start fires where there are none," referring to some criticisms that have been voiced on this matter, even against him personally for the organizing role of the archbishopric. In any case, he understood that "people were alarmed" by saying that "he will not speak Catalan" when they saw the missal, but that the reality will be different, in addition to the fact that there will also be the homily. As Omella explained, "the Pope is working to apply his message also in the language of the country, which is much loved by Catalans and from abroad, and the Pope respects all languages."

"From the first moment it was reasonable for the Pope to speak Catalan," according to the cardinal, who excused himself by saying that "the blessing is written in Spanish so that everyone in Spain can understand it," but that when it comes to saying it, it will be different. The cardinal also commented that Leo XIV "is preparing his sermon," the text of which is not included in the missal, and that "he will say some words in Catalan as far as he can reach."

Pressure

Omella has been asked about political pressure on multiple fronts, although there has also been pressure from various bishops – from Girona, Lleida, Urgell, and Tarragona – with public and private statements, but he has stated that the provision for the use of Catalan was clear and that the efforts have been there from day one. "Not because they pressure me... The Pope is above all these controversies," he pointed out, emphasizing the pontiff's independent role.

He was surprised by the controversy and felt it was regrettable, and for that reason, he reviewed the defense of the Catalan language, recalling that he speaks it with his family. Omella recalled, for example, that during the blessing of the image of a copy of La Moreneta, he asked Pope Francis to greet the 800 pilgrims in Catalan. And on that occasion, he said, he also had to face criticism because the pontiff was surprised when he saw the text in Spanish: "The text was prepared by the monks. I had nothing to do with it, but there was also a controversy against Cardinal Omella," he lamented.

On this occasion, Omella indicated that he knows the origin of the controversy, although he has not wanted to reveal it, and explained how the pontiff's liturgy was prepared: "We appointed commissions, a group that prepared the liturgy, the person in charge was the rector of the Sagrada Familia basilica himself [Father Josep Maria Turull], and this is sent to Rome and Rome decides. We said that we are in Catalonia and that a part must be in Catalan," he recounted.

In the political sphere, the President of the Parliament, Josep Rull, spoke with various bishops to request the presence of Catalan. The request also came from Junts, ERC, Òmnium, the Lliga Espiritual de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat, the ANC, the Consell de la República, and other entities. The harshest was the former President of the Generalitat and Junts leader, Carles Puigdemont, who published an image created with artificial intelligence in which Omella burns the Catalan language, surrounded by bonfires and a Spanish flag, reproducing a scene typical of the Inquisition.