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

BarcelonaFollowing 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 the ARA reported. Specifically, numerous bishops, as well as politicians, reacted so that the Archbishopric of Barcelona would take action to increase the use of Catalan. However, 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, as well as in Spanish. That is to say, the Holy See has agreed to listen to the plea of the Catalan dioceses, even though the cardinal has overlooked the concrete effect these movements have had. 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 expressed that the pontiff "will make the effort": "I know this personally, this controversy was unnecessary, the Pope has known 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 lamented that "some people like to start fires where there are none," referring to some criticisms that have been voiced about this matter, even against himself for the organizing role of the archbishopric. The program, as it was planned, was a clear marginalization of Catalan

, but now Omella clarifies that not everything will be exactly as written.

In any case, he understood that "people were alarmed" by saying that "he will not speak Catalan" when they saw the missal, but that this will not be the case, in addition to the fact that there will also be the homily. As Omella explained, "the Pope is working on applying 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 has taken refuge in the fact that "the blessing is written in Spanish so that everyone in Spain can understand it", but that it will be different when it is said. 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". What has not been made clear is how much Catalan he will speak, given that the cardinal has said on some occasions that he will do "a part" of the blessing, that he will say "something" or that he will use it, in general. Until the moment comes, doubts will not be resolved.

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 manifestations, but he has gone on to say that the provision for the use of Catalan was clear and that the management has been there from the first day. "Not because they pressure me... The Pope is above all these controversies," he has pointed out, emphasizing the pontiff's independent role. However, the archbishop of Tarragona, Joan Planellas, has stepped in to "thank" Omella for the organization and for "having known how to listen and position himself correctly," which also implicitly means thanking him for having managed to include Catalan in the blessing. Furthermore, he has highlighted the "excellent relationship" between the bishops and the "great work" of the Barcelona archbishopric for the preparations.

Omella has been surprised by the controversy and has regretted it, and for this reason, he has reviewed the defense of the Catalan language, recalling that he speaks it with his family. Omella has 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 received 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 controversy against Cardinal Omella," he lamented.

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

In the political arena, the President of the Parliament, Josep Rull, spoke with several 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. The earthquake of Catholic Catalanism has had an effect.