Cardinal Juan José Omella celebrated his final Mass of La Mercè on Thursday 24 September 2026 as Archbishop of Barcelona, marking the end of a significant chapter in the city's religious life. The service took place at the Basilica of La Mercè and was concelebrated with bishops from Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Terrassa and the auxiliary bishop of Barcelona.

Attendees included Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni, who attended despite not including the Mass in the official La Mercè festival programme. His presence contrasts with that of former mayor Ada Colau, who did not attend during her tenure. Also present were Parliament President Josep Rull, Justice Minister Ramon Espadaler, and municipal group leaders Jordi Martí (Junts) and Daniel Sirera (PP).

Final sermon highlights social vision

Omella, who marks 30 years and two days as a bishop on this date, made light of brief power outages during the Mass, joking that the parish might be cutting electricity to encourage donations. His homily made no direct reference to his imminent departure but reaffirmed his long-standing emphasis on social justice.

Barcelona has wanted for centuries to place itself under the protection of Our Lady of Mercy. Mary helps Barcelona look beyond itself, to open up to the poor, the needy and those who come from afar.

He stressed that a city's true greatness is not measured by prestige or architecture, but by how it treats its people, particularly those enduring modern forms of captivity. These include loneliness, fear of the future, material and spiritual poverty, addiction, egoism and inner emptiness, echoing the original mission of the Mercedarian Order founded by Pere Nolasc to free Christian captives.

Papal visit legacy and successor speculation

Omella’s tenure includes the successful June 2026 visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Sagrada Família, during which the pontiff used Catalan for over half of his blessing, a move widely credited to Omella’s influence amid concerns it would be delivered solely in Spanish.

Though he reportedly offered to step down before the papal visit so his successor could host it, Vatican officials insisted he remain. Church sources indicate his replacement will be named imminently, possibly within days or weeks. While unconfirmed, possible successors include Archbishop Joan Planellas of Tarragona, Bishop Sergi Gordo of Tortosa, Bishop Daniel Palau of Lleida, and Archbishop Florencio Roselló of Pamplona and Tudela.

Once retired, Omella is expected to reside at the Casa Sacerdotal in Zaragoza, a residence for retired priests. His leadership, initially met with some resistance in 2015 due to his non-Catalan origins during a tense period in the independence process, has since gained broad respect across ecclesial and civic circles.

Reported by regio7.cat, Regió 7.