Despite not being named in ecclesiastical circles, other Catalan-speaking active bishops should be kept in mind for potential surprises. These include the Bishop of Seville, Josep Àngel Sáiz, former Bishop of Terrassa, who is 70 years old and would be seen internally as an incomprehensible and highly improbable move – although the cleric born in Cuenca is favored by more Hispanist sectors –; the Bishop of Rabat, Cristóbal López, an Andalusian trained in Catalonia and very progressive, but who only has twelve months left before turning 75 and having to submit his resignation; the Bishop of Ibiza, Vicent Ribas, who is serving in his diocese, as is the Bishop of Menorca, Gerard Vilallonga, both very established; and the Bishop of Santander, the Valencian Arturo Pablo Ros, who had been auxiliary bishop of Valencia. All these would be strange moves.
The Catalan Church opens Pandora's box: who will succeed Omella?
Valencia and Aragon are two key quarries to replace Omella as Barcelona's archbishop, but there are other avenues such as Tortosa
BarcelonaThe visit of Pope Leo XIV to Catalonia is the prelude to the changes of bishops in the Principality. Barcelona is the most important, but Terrassa also needs to be renewed and, in the rest of the Catalan Countries, Mallorca. Joan Josep Omella, an Aragonese from La Franja, landed in November 2015 at the archbishopric of Barcelona with the mitre he had from Calahorra. At 80 years old, five years past the normal age for the position, he will cease to be archbishop and the succession will be finalized this summer, after the pontiff's visit. Here comes Operation Barcelona: who are the best-positioned names? What role will Omella and the Pope play?
Omella will have decisive weight. He is part of the Congregation for Bishops, which selects the names before papal approval, although the nuncio, Piero Pioppo, is also fundamental in the consultation task. But Leo XIV will be key: "It is a very important appointment, the final word will be with the Holy Father," multiple ecclesiastical voices emphasize at ARA. Omella has aligned himself with Pope Francis's reformism, but it has not resonated with a part of the Church with a more Catalanist tendency – due to the lack of a Catalan national vision and his use of Spanish in prominent settings, alternating with Catalan.
What should Omella's successor be like? "A person committed to synodality, socially sensitive, with flexibility and adaptability to be a point of communion," some sources summarize. In fact, there may be an operation similar to the one Omella initiated. However, if it materializes, there is a unanimous consensus that the new figure must "speak Catalan." Catalanism, moreover, also asks that they be from the country. The best-positioned names respond to the Valencian, Aragonese, or Catalan route. The premise of "we want Catalan bishops" has not been imposed lately and Valencians "have had a lot of presence in Catalonia because they know they will not subscribe to independence or nationalist theses," various sources point out. Of the last four bishops of Barcelona, one is Valencian, one Aragonese, and two Catalan.
Solsona and Tortosa
the fury of the Spanish far-right for the small steps to normalize Catalan in masses, although it is still residual. In the consultation process for the future bishop, bishops and some prominent priests and laypeople are asked for their opinion through a shortlist in which they recommend three names for a bishopric or are asked in abstract about the qualities that would fit in a diocese.
Other names from Aragon and Valencia
A name that has also been strongly mentioned and would be very similar to Omella is the Aragonese Florencio Roselló, Archbishop of Pamplona. He is not from La Franja, but he masters Catalan due to his training and residence in Catalonia for several years. He has only been Bishop of Pamplona for two years, where he has shown sensitivity to Basque. Despite his social commitment, the lack of roots in Catalonia raises doubts.
Enric Benavent, Archbishop of Valencia, has also been mentioned in ecclesiastical circles for almost a year. A Valencian with a very Catalanist youth trajectory, he has had problems in his episcopate due to the "harshness of the Spanish far-right" over the small steps to normalize Catalan in masses, although it is still residual. He has played it safe with the Valencian government following the dana. A conciliator, he has only been bishop for four years, after having been Bishop of Tortosa.
From Planellas' factor to surprise
Various ecclesiastical voices warn that names have been published about possible replacements for Omella "to burn them" with negative campaigns like the one against the Archbishop of Tarragona, Joan Planellas. The fundamentalist blog Germinans Germinabit has fueled it, as Planellas is the voice of the Catalanist Church and firm against the extreme right. His move would be surprising, but not out of the question: in 2004 the Catalanist Lluís Martínez Sistach already landed in Barcelona from Tarragona.
On the other hand, the auxiliary bishops of Barcelona, David Abadías and Javier Vilanova, are renowned. Especially Abadías, who is a doctor and his intellect stands out. It is strange to go from auxiliary to titular of the bishopric, but it already happened with Daniel Cobo in Madrid. In any case, one of the auxiliaries leans more towards Terrassa.
And one must be careful with the "surprise factor", according to sources, which was already seen with recent appointments like Octavi Vilà in Girona, who was abbot of Poblet. In this regard, some mention the abbot of Montserrat, Manel Gasch. At the same time, the good consideration of mosén Jordi Bertomeu in the fight against pedophilia has made him the most beloved Catalan in the Vatican and some are thinking of him, but it would be an unexpected turn. The Tortosa native is in Peru acting against the Sodalicio.
