The Valencian Church remains silent on Mazón's handling of the DANA and the attacks on Catalan.

BarcelonaThe silence of the Valencian Church on the management of the Valencian government during the DANA and about the constant attacks against Catalan It's deafening. Almost a year has passed since the cold drop in the Valencian Country, with management questioned and judicially investigated, but the silence has become a reprehensible complicity, according to some grassroots Christian groups consulted by ARA. The Valencian Church has also not promoted Valencian in masses and, in particular, in the liturgy, despite the promise of the Archbishop of Valencia, Enric Benavent. It remains residual and there are hardly any changes in the use of the language compared to the regime of Francisco Franco. In fact, Benavent spoke out this Thursday about the cold drop, calling for "fighting so that the common good is more important than our ideas" and on other occasions he had called for "unity" and not "instrumentalizing" suffering and misfortune, but without going into management.

The unrest is obvious and is denounced by committed Christian voices such as the Montserrat monk Josep Miquel Bausset, who was the protagonist. the viral homily who denounced that the Valencian president, Carlos Mazón, "ate and drank while 228 people died." The Christian Saturday Group, which is part of Christian Networks, also laments this. Bausset, who denounces the "linguistic genocide" being perpetrated against Mazón with constant attacks on the language, laments to this newspaper that the ecclesiastical hierarchy is not lifting a finger regarding the Valencian president. "What I said should be said by them: the archbishop, the bishops, the auxiliary bishops, and the priests," he asserts. A staunch Valencianist and son of a long-standing Valencian activist, the monk raises his voice: "I don't know why there is silence. Archbishop Benavent is a very valid person; it shouldn't be so complicated." He emphasizes that "priests don't usually get involved" in the region. Born in Alcudia, where he delivered the famous homily, he laments that not even in his town can mass be heard in Catalan: "Nothing at all," he maintains, aware that his homily was an exception in this regard.

The truth is that Benavent, after almost three years as bishop, has only published the Gospels in Catalan for the Valencian dioceses –and Vox filed a battle against this decision –, but has not done the same with the liturgical texts. Masses and sacraments are celebrated in Spanish, with a few very small exceptions, and some homilies incorporate Catalan, such as those of the archbishop himself. In any case, the number of homilies is limited. Because the ecclesiastical hierarchy "does not want to take a clear position" on Mazón, on his management during the DANA (National Assembly of Catholics), and on the attacks on Catalan, according to Vicent Estelrich of the Christian Saturday Group. In his opinion, "it seems that taking a stand is entering politics," although this confirms a "lack of firmness" on the part of the Valencian Church due to Benavent's "misunderstood diplomacy." "He doesn't dare take the definitive step, swimming and keeping his clothes on and making little use of Valencian," Estelrich asserts. Benavent ignored the letters sent to him from the community and the majority of Catholic Valencianism requesting this move to Catalan.

"What's missing is a clear decision and a lack of fear of the political climate, as if threatening to take sides when doing nothing is actually taking a position," Estelrich says. He emphasizes this "prudence that harms" and explains that, for the most part, and especially for the ecclesiastical hierarchy, "they don't care if Valencian disappears because they don't care" and "no one makes any effort."

From promise to nothing

What did Archbishop Benavent promise? He is close to Valencianism, unlike the rest of the bishops (except for the one from Tortosa), although he already stated this in an interview with Vilaweb For three years, he had wanted to make a commitment to the Mass in Catalan "without controversy," finding "points of agreement" and "something that would be peacefully acceptable," hoping to work "in peace." But less than a year after his appointment, the anti-Valencianist government of Mazón was born with Vox, which clung to linguistic secessionism, even more strongly after the management of the DANA. The far-right's crusade with the publication of the Gospels last year was merely a warning: "They provoked a strong response, and since then, they haven't wanted to enter," believes Estelrich. The archbishopric of Valencia has ignored the ARA.

Bausset recalls that in the Valencian Church "everything remains the same" with Catalan and that with respect to Franco's regime, "progress has been timid" because "it is not used normally" - nor is there much social "sensitivity." The problem stems from the Second Vatican Council when, except in the case of the Diocese of Tortosa, the hierarchy replaced Latin with Castilian. Nevertheless, Bausset asks the Valencian bishops who have served in Catalonia to raise awareness among the Valencian hierarchy about the need to use the language. Grassroots Christianity does have "a concern for the language" and conducts ceremonies in Catalan, according to Estelrich.