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Junts demands more Catalan from Pope's visit; Orriols withdraws from mass

The nationalist party asks the President of the Generalitat to intercede to ensure the presence of the Catalan language in the Sagrada Familia events.

Generic image of the Sagrada Familia facade in Barcelona.
IA

Generic image of the Sagrada Familia facade in Barcelona.

Pope Leo XIV's visit to Barcelona sparks linguistic controversy. Junts demands President Salvador Illa ensure greater Catalan presence in official events, while Sílvia Orriols announces her withdrawal from the mass due to the use of Spanish.

Catalan nationalism is seeking to mobilize public opinion ahead of Pope Leo XIV's upcoming visit to Barcelona, focusing on the language to be used during events at the Sagrada Familia. Junts is demanding the Pontiff speak more in Catalan, while the leader of Aliança Catalana, Sílvia Orriols, has stated she will not attend the mass in protest against the decision to conduct it in Spanish.
The presence of Catalan in the blessing ceremony for the Sagrada Familia's Jesus tower is expected to be less than during Pope Benedict XVI's 2010 visit, according to sector sources. This situation has caused discontent among pro-independence parties, who feel Catalan is being relegated to a secondary role.
The president of Junts in the Parliament, Mònica Sales, has sent a letter to the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, urging him to intercede with the Holy See and the Spanish Episcopal Conference. The aim is to ensure Catalan's presence is "adequate to its legal recognition," both in the mass and the tower's blessing, as well as other official events.
Sales argued that the papal visit is a unique opportunity to promote Catalan internationally and criticized the decision to hold the blessing entirely in Spanish as a step backward from Pope Benedict XVI's visit.
Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont expressed his displeasure on social media platform X, calling the situation a "disgrace" and "an insult to an entire country and to the memory of Antoni Gaudí." He criticized the ecclesiastical authorities for supporting the "language of power" over Catalonia's own language.
Meanwhile, the leader of Aliança Catalana, Sílvia Orriols, has officially announced her withdrawal from attending the blessing of the Sagrada Familia's Jesus tower. "Out of respect for Gaudí and Catalonia," she stated, after learning the event would be conducted in Spanish.
The Government has acknowledged the complaints and stated it is "working" to have the Pope use Catalan during the blessing. The Department of Justice, led by Ramon Espadaler, is handling the matter, although the final decision rests with the Vatican, which is reportedly sensitive to the use of Catalan in this mass.

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