We already have a fairly clear diagnosis of Donald Trump. The question now –assuming Trump does not manage to become a lifelong dictator– is: what comes next? The American empire is losing credibility in the world. And, internally, it shows growing difficulties in coexisting with itself.

Joan Vinyes Miralpeix (Anglès, 1918 - Barcelona, 2009) could not long resist the hypocrisy of priestly life, the total submission of the Church to Francoism, nor the celibacy (only apparent) that his condition as a priest imposed on him. All these contradictions, and some more, converged in his last mass, on Sunday, October 1, 1950, when from the pulpit of the church of l'Escala he announced to his astonished parishioners that he was ceasing to be a priest. It was the first case of apostasy in Francoist Girona, which tried by all means to bring him back into the fold of the Church, even through institutional conspiracies to make him appear mad and lock him up in a mental asylum. "In the time of national-Catholicism, it was an act of total rebellion and they could not tolerate it, which is why they considered that he could only be mad," explains Josep Maria Vinyes i Vilà, who has taken care of the memoirs written by his father.

Holy Week. In Spain it means processions, floats, saetas, brotherhoods and entire cities organized around a calendar that is not only religious, but also cultural. In Catalonia it also means jesters, palms and palmons, family getaways and visits to emblematic places linked to the Christian tradition. Many Catalans of Andalusian origin return to their land these days to reconnect with Holy Week, which continues to have enormous strength.All this coexists with a certain intellectual contempt. Not on the part of everyone, of course. But in a large part of the political and urban progressivism, the Catholic religious tradition is usually viewed with a mixture of contempt, irony, and moral superiority. It is tolerated as a picturesque custom, an ancient remnant. Religion is questioned and its symbols are caricatured.The curious thing is that this same country that despises its traditions turns them, when April arrives, into a formidable economic machine. Renfe has scheduled three million places for this Holy Week. In many destinations, hotel reservations are close to full: Cuenca, Toledo, Andalusia, to give some examples. Tradition moves people, fills hotels, sustains restaurants, activates businesses, generates temporary employment, and gives economic meaning to many territories.Seville has even sophisticated the public management of its processions with maps, capacity control, and special mobility devices. Barcelona maintains the Fira de Rams on Rambla de Catalunya, where palms and laurel are sold. Catalan pastry shops are already exhibiting their "monas" as small works of competitive craftsmanship. All of this is real economy.The paradox deserves attention. The legacy is undervalued and then its impact on hospitality, transport, and domestic tourism is celebrated. The symbol is criticized and the box is applauded.Welcome to all this economic activity. But that is not the important thing. The important thing is that they are part of our legacy. Of a historical, cultural and moral heritage that has contributed to shaping us as a society. One may not be a believer, not practice, not share the Catholic faith and, even so, perfectly understand that one cannot live ignoring the Judeo-Christian tradition that has shaped a large part of our culture, our sensitivity, our idea of good and evil, our way of understanding life in common.Each person embraces these dates from a different place: from faith, from family emotion, from memory, from custom, or from simple inheritance. All of this is legitimate. What is poorer is to look at them with dogmatic contempt, as if they were an uncomfortable relic that is only tolerated because it makes money. They are part of us. And it would be advisable to remember this also for Easter.

Asking for extra energy from an indeterminate person or object to pass an exam. Saying "please" while looking at the sky, wishing you were given a job. Interrogating relatives who are no longer here so they push your football team to win a crucial match. Three examples of everyday spirituality, of spontaneous forms of belief often detached from religious practice. According to the information we have from various polls and studies, these forms of instinctive, even automatic and intuitive belief are common in contemporary societies, and Catalonia is no exception. A subjective spirituality that, in the words of Linda Woodhead, prioritizes internal experience and personal development over dogmatic beliefs and hierarchical structures. A form of religiosity or mysticism that has shown no sign of exhaustion as modernity has progressed.

One of the fields that has changed the most in recent decades is how the personal and collective sense of life is experienced. What we also call religiosity. Perhaps more so than politics. So much so that it now offers an extremely complex, not to say confusing, panorama. And wanting to approach it with opinion polls based on how the old schemes of belief and institutional ecclesiastical belonging have been only adds confusion to confusion. The question is no longer even whether one believes in God. The social phenomenon of belief and spirituality overflows all the models used until now.

The extraordinary global resonance of Rosalía's latest album, the success of the film Los domingos, the media coverage of the papal succession, and the more or less "spiritual" bias (the quotation marks are important here) of certain high-audience series have led to the expression "Catholic spring" being used in certain circles. I already referred to Rosalía's specific case a few months ago, because it seemed significant to me, to say the least. The fact that it is a genuine marketing product, albeit of high aesthetic and musical quality, does not discredit the real interest it has generated among many young people (and not so young). How should all this be interpreted? The CIS data show that there has been no increase in the practice of Catholicism in Spain in recent years, but rather a slow and sustained decrease. According to CIS surveys, the percentage of the population declaring themselves Catholic —practicing or not— has fallen from around 60% in 2020 to 55.4% in April 2025, with a particularly marked drop among non-practicing Catholics. In parallel, the groups of agnostics, indifferent, and atheists continue to grow, together accounting for nearly 40% of the population. The CIS does not detect, therefore, any "spring", that is, any generalized upturn; in fact, the dominant trend is progressive secularization. Catholicism continues to be the majority religion in Spain, yes, but it has not experienced any real growth, at least during the 2020-2025 period. All of this, however, does not quite align with the references we presented at the beginning. So, what is happening?There is no structural revival, nor of vocations, nor of liturgical participation, nor of the global proportion of Catholics, but there are micro-tendencies that no one expected and that suggest certain changes in attitude. Could they be symptoms of a minority but significant cultural change? We will see. What we are witnessing is not a sudden explosion of spiritual fervor, but rather the progressive exhaustion of a life model that, for decades, has presented consumption and ultra-individualistic self-sufficiency, without ties or commitments, as immediate paths to happiness. This narrative, which took root strongly from the second half of the 20th century, has been showing its cracks as younger generations have experienced firsthand the consequences of a fragmented, accelerated, and often meaningless life, which demands more and more stimuli (generally, by paying).

There are things that don't change. Like the change of time. It doesn't matter that the seasons are distorted by climate change and that we're on the time of Nazi Germany because Franco had to align himself with the prevailing fascism. Let's see who's brave enough to change it. And even less so now that fascism is trending again and there's so much nostalgia for the eagle that if you're very distracted by the world and see all those people with expired flags, you might think they're an environmental group defending an endangered animal. Of course, in Spain, the eagle on the Francoist coat of arms has never fallen into disuse. And if you confuse an environmental group with a fascist one, it means you're more lost in aesthetics than Lamine Yamal's hairstyle. But we were talking about the time. About change. About things that don't change. Like the collateral damage of a war. As if the main damage, which also doesn't change, wasn't enough. Bombs that destroy. Bombs that kill. Bombs to make more bombs. Bombs to send more bombs. Although it's logical that if your goal is to cause harm and the only human life that matters to you is your own, the more harm you do, the better. The extent of harm for an evil person is infinite. The more people suffer to survive, the better. And with this bunch of psychopaths who are constantly measuring their trumpets to see who has the longest, suffering seems assured. For everyone. Because there are things that don't change. Like resolving conflicts by creating new and worse ones. It also doesn't change that you are rewarded for peace after generating a war. Perhaps the newest thing is that since you're not rewarded by those you expected, you're rewarded by some who believe that football promotes peace. I won't be the one to question that. Because anyone can face a hooligan, a synonym for pacifist. I'm just saying that good taste certainly isn't promoted. And since so many people follow them, they could at least have houses that didn't look like a funeral home. Inside and out.

The third attempt hasn't been successful either. The assembly of the Brotherhood of the Most Pure Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ of Sagunto has once again rejected changing its statutes to allow women to participate. This decision has deeply upset all those citizens who have been working for years to shed the traditional machismo surrounding the celebration. The Ministry of Industry and Tourism also disapproved and is considering revoking the festival's designation as a Festival of National Tourist Interest. The Ministry of Equality is also considering appealing the statutes for "violating the right to equality and non-discrimination." Regardless of what the authorities do, the Inclusive Holy Week collective, made up of both women and men, has ruled out creating an alternative brotherhood, arguing that the Brotherhood of the Most Pure Blood "is the one in Sagunto." Furthermore, they have announced they will take legal action. Their spokesperson, Blanca Ribelles, details this in the newspaper ARA.

The Brotherhood of the Blood of Sagunto, which is an extraordinary name, has rejected, once again, by majority vote, the admission of women as members of the brotherhoodThe Spanish government, ever eager, pressured to make it a mixed-gender event, but alas, 267 members of the brotherhood voted against it. 114 voted in favor. Rejected, just like in 2022. This time, however, a threat loomed: the withdrawal of the National Tourist Interest designation.

Women will continue to be barred from participating in Holy Week in Sagunto. This decision was made by the men of the Brotherhood of the Most Pure Blood, which organizes the festivities in the city, in a secret ballot held this Sunday. For years, there have been calls to allow women to participate as members of the brotherhood, and the controversy continues to grow, but the organization has decided to maintain the ban. This decision risks jeopardizing the festival's recognition as a Festival of National Tourist Interest, a distinction that did not sway the members in their decision. A total of 276 members voted against including women, while 114 voted in favor of changing the statutes to make the traditional Catholic festival more inclusive. The vote, held at the Hermitage of the Most Pure Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, involved modifying an article by changing the word "men" to "people." The Inclusive Holy Week group has called for dozens of people to gather outside the church to protest the decision. Their spokesperson, Blanca Ribelles, explained to Efe that "another great opportunity has been lost" and regretted that the City Council had not commented on the matter. Sagunto's Holy Week has over 500 years of history and a tradition that, according to the male participants—the only ones allowed to speak—is untouchable. The group that wants to make this tradition inclusive has been trying since 2022 to get women's entry into the brotherhood approved. Sunday's extraordinary assembly was held behind closed doors, and of the 1,700 members, only 403 voted (with 22 abstentions, invalid votes, and blank votes).

After proclaiming that the son of the assassinated Ayatollah Khamenei will be the new leader of the Revolution (a fact that, curiously, turns the Republic of Iran into a kind of hereditary monarchy), the voice tasked with announcing this to the Iranian people invoked the obligatory "Allah is great." Days earlier, thousands of miles away, Donald Trump, seated in his presidential office, was surrounded by evangelical pastors who placed their hands on his shoulders while offering prayers for the guidance and protection of the US president and his troops during these difficult times.

In contemporary culture, a return to fascination with the religious and its iconography is becoming evident. Rosalía and her album Lux have been the most visible and global example. But in recent years there has been a surge of expressions of liturgical inspiration and spiritual imagery in the world of fashion, advertising, and music. Sometimes with purely aesthetic pretensions and other times as an emotional resource to appeal to transcendence and feelings of devotion and ecstasy. Sacred language in a pop and kitsch version is conquering secular spaces. We even heard yesterday how a priest blessed the new RAC1 studio and recited the Lord's Prayer as if it were a broadcast from the Church.

This Wednesday, February 18th, the calendar marks an unusual coincidence: the simultaneous start of Catholic Lent and Muslim Ramadan. This exceptional occurrence is solely due to a matter of calendar calculation. Lent depends on the Christian liturgical calendar and the variable date of Easter—which is always celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox, making it fall between approximately March 23rd and April 25th—while Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, based on the solar calendar, which is about ten to twelve days long each year, making it movable from year to year. Because they follow different calendars and progress at different rates, Lent and Ramadan only sporadically coincide in the Gregorian calendar, as they do in 2026. This simultaneity invites us to ask how these two central periods for the two major religions are similar and how they differ.

Oriol Jara (Barcelona, ​​1980) is a screenwriter and television director. He has been, among other things, assistant director of the program Buenafuente, screenwriter of Poland and currently directs The jungle, the afternoon program on TV3. But Jara is also a Christian activist. And, with the book Why I believe in God, begins a new collection of Destiny of Thought in which various people answer the question posed in the book's title: why do they believe in God?

A lock of blond hair from Jaume I, kept in the Palau de la Música Catalana. The dramatic transformation of Plaça Sant Agustí in the Raval district when the statue of Saint Rita is brought out and the faithful leave messages filled with hopeful petitions to the patron saint of impossible causes. Splinters from the cross on which Jesus was tortured and killed, treasured in the church of Anglesola. A drop of blood from John Paul II, preserved in the church of Our Lady of Prat in Argelès. The Virgin Mary's milk held by the Old Guild of Resellers Association 1447 in Plaça del Pi, Barcelona. The bones of Saint Felix in Vilafranca del Penedès. These are just some of the relics, of legendary origin, that journalist Sergi Ramis (Barcelona, ​​1964) has been finding in chapels, museums, altars, and crypts throughout Catalonia. He explains it, with a good dose of humor, in The Path of Bones: A True Journey Through the Catalonia of Relics (Column).

Pope Leo XIV will visit Barcelona in the coming months, or at least that is what the Spanish Church is already taking for granted. This was confirmed by Cardinal José Cobo, Archbishop of Madrid, after meeting this Friday morning at the Vatican with the number two official in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, Venezuelan Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra. Also present at the meeting were the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), Luis Argüello, the Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​Joan Josep Omella, and the Archbishop of the Canary Islands, José Mazuelos. "Will there be a trip? Yes, at least that is the Pope's interest," the Madrid cardinal acknowledged in Rome. The Spanish bishops traveled to the Vatican to discuss the possibility of the Pope visiting Spain this year. The leadership of the CEE presented its proposal, which must now be studied and approved by the Holy See. Although the agenda is still being reviewed, the Spanish bishops assume the trip will culminate with the Pope's visit to the Sagrada Família in June. The Cardinal of Madrid explained that the initiative came directly from the Pope, who has spoken with each bishop, and now the Spanish episcopate awaits instructions from Leo XIV to set in motion the enormous organizational machinery and then extend official invitations to Spanish authorities. The Spanish archbishop confirmed that negotiations have also taken place with the Spanish government, although official invitations have not yet been sent. The city of Barcelona is thus emerging as a key location for the Pope's trip to Spain in the coming months, which would also include a visit by Leo XIV to Madrid and the Canary Islands. "Madrid, Barcelona, ​​and the Canary Islands are the three proposed locations. It's a first draft that must be submitted to the Holy Father so he can then refine it with any notes he deems necessary," Cobo insisted to the media.

The Civil Guard arrested Laura García de Viedma, the former abbess of the Belorado convent in the province of Burgos, on Thursday. The arrest followed a search ordered by the Briviesca court, which is investigating her involvement in the sale of artwork from the controversial monastery, according to sources close to the investigation consulted by EFE. The search concluded this afternoon with the arrest of the former abbess as part of an investigation into the misappropriation and receiving of stolen historical artifacts from the convent. The courts are continuing their preliminary investigation following a complaint filed by someone not affiliated with the convent.

The newly elected mayor of New York has won over the disaffected electorate of one of the world's most important urban centers. He has done so with a dynamic communication style and, through the most powerful channels with mass attention capacity, has managed to convince the residents of the former New Amsterdam. Saturday Night Live Ten days ago, he parodied a still-campaigning Mamdani who wanted to offer voters free healthcare, affordable housing, and free Wi-Fi. Then, he asked himself, "As mayor, can I make it happen? I don't know yet, to be honest," and after a pause, added, "But together we'll find out... that the answer is no."

In this week's article Ferran Sáez was taking advantage of Rosalía's new album to warn us against the temptation to interpret the popularity of a certain type of spirituality as if it were "the drift of a search for meaning in an ultra-fragmented world." The mysticism with which the singer from Sant Esteve Sesrovires works in her new project is what Sáez would call a "postmodern spirituality," which, due to its imbrication with market logic, would be directly incompatible with the transformation of consciousness that the album itself invokes. I agree with the diagnosis, but I would like to take advantage of it to talk about the world toward which this artistic endeavor is directed, because we can be sure that the great pop divas are very attentive readers of the times in which they live, and that Rosalía wants to make art and business out of a certain return to spirituality means that this certain return has not been properly shaped and capitalized upon.

Evangelical or Protestant churches in Catalonia have more than doubled in the last two decades. While there were 341 in 2004, last year ended with 889 places of worship, according to the count by the Directorate General of Religious Affairs of the Department of Justice. Despite the rapid increase in spaces dedicated to this faith, the Barometer on Religiosity and the Management of its Diversity does not show a similarly significant increase in the population that identifies with this faith, which also has many branches, denominations, and internal currents. The latest data in Catalonia, from 2023, indicates that 3.6% of the population belongs to this faith. Sources consulted by ARA, including both experts and people involved in the evangelical movement, see different reasons behind this increase. The General Directorate of Religious Affairs attributes this to immigration from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and some Eastern European countries, but also points out that "part of the Catalan population may have been attracted to the more experiential and straightforward forms of evangelical worship." They cite the Roma population as an example.