Pope Leo XIV lands next Tuesday in Catalonia, a country with strong ties to the Holy See since its inception. Relations have had their ups and downs, especially when Catalonia had a voice and vote in the world, with the Catalan kings of the Crown of Aragon. After the disappearance of the Papal States in 1870, the great shift occurred with the Second Vatican Council. The bond, however, also raises a question: why does the senyera have the same colors as the flag of the Papal States?