This week Pope Leo XIV has decided to award the medalPro Ecclesia et Pontifice Xavier Pomés (Barcelona, ​​1948), former Minister of Governance and the Interior in various governments of Jordi Pujol (1999-2002), has been honored for rescuing the finances of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Almería, which was on the verge of bankruptcy. He arrived there in 2022 on a complex mission that has proven entirely fruitful. The success of the president of the board of trustees of the Pere Tarrés Foundation has earned him the highest distinction awarded by the Holy Father, at the request of the Bishop of Almería, Antonio Gómez Cantero. The Vicar General of Almería, Ignacio López, explains in a conversation with ARA how Pomés pulled them out of the abyss in his role as diocesan treasurer: "He has done a spectacular job in a completely selfless way; he has given us a huge boost," he maintains. And he adds that "he didn't charge a penny": "Just look at the level of generosity." In numerical terms, Pomés's time in Almería has been a blessing; he explains that they had a debt of 25 million euros and that now it's only 5 million – the annual budget was five million and is currently six million. The situation had spiraled out of control and they were drowning: "We were approaching 900,000 euros a year in interest payments alone. We were selling assets and couldn't keep up," he concludes. The main loan was with Banco Santander for 11 million euros. Pomés's plan was accompanied by a godsend: an anonymous donation of ten million euros from a businessman, which contributed to reducing the debt, which is now twenty million euros less.