Controversy of the independence movement regarding the Pope's visit to Barcelona: political parties (Junts and Aliança) and entities have expressed indignation and mobilized against the Pope blessing the tower of Jesus at the Sagrada Familia in Spanish next week in Barcelona. Meanwhile, the Government assures that they are working "discreetly" to ensure "Catalan presence" in the second part of the event at the Basilica.
Pope León XIV will include Catalan in the mass at the Sagrada Familia for the centenary of Antoni Gaudí's death, but not in the blessing of the Tower of Jesus, according to the pontiff's trip missal to Spain released this Monday.
In the missal, published by the Office of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, it is stated that Catalan will be used alongside Spanish during the Eucharist, but the blessing of the Tower of Jesus is planned to be entirely in Spanish.
This choice has angered the independence movement, prompting them to mobilize: Junts pressures Illa through a letter, Carles Puigdemont criticizes the decision and the role of the Government, and the leader of Aliança Catalana, Sílvia Orriols, has withdrawn from the mass. Even the President of the Parliament, the neoconvergent Josep Rull, has sent another letter to the Church's leadership demanding that Catalan have a "predominant" role in the events of the visit.
On the other hand, the neoconvergent group in the Parliament has sent another letter to the Catalan President requesting that he contact the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Joan Josep Omella, and the Holy See.
"We are not asking for any concessions or favors, we are simply defending our language as any nation would, and the Government must set an example and be the first to act," stated Junts' deputy, Mònica Sales, in the letter. "Catalan is being relegated to a secondary position compared to Spanish," she emphasized.
Furthermore, Puigdemont himself has described the use of Spanish (instead of Catalan) in the blessing of the tower of Jesus as an "insult and shame." "What a shame, what an insult to an entire country and the memory of Antoni Gaudí. If this is finally the case, it will confirm the return to national-Catholicism that the purple beetles are working towards," criticized the former President of the Generalitat and leader of Junts.
On the other hand, the Illa Government has stated that they have "conveyed" to the organization and the Vatican the "importance of Catalan" in the events in the Catalan capital. This was reiterated by the Government's spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, without delving into further details or deviating from this stance.
During a press conference following the cabinet meeting, the socialist spokesperson recalled that it is not the Government's responsibility to organize liturgical events or determine the language used, although she mentioned that there has been "receptivity" and sensitivity from the Vatican on this matter.
From Illa's cabinet, they also emphasize that the Government "does not organize liturgical events or determine the languages used," but they admit to having "conveyed" to the Vatican along with the Tarragona Episcopal Conference "the importance of using Catalan." They are also working and making efforts in this regard and claim to have found "receptivity" from the Vatican on the language issue, according to government sources.
The controversy has also involved the leader of Aliança Catalana, Sílvia Orriols. The Mayor of Ripoll has announced that she will not attend the blessing of the tower of Jesus at the basilica after learning that it will be conducted in Spanish. "As a deputy, I had requested to attend, but after learning that it will be conducted in Spanish, I resign. Out of respect for Gaudí and in Catalonia," she explained in a message where she showed that she had registered for the event.