Barcelona is set for protests this week as Pope Leo XIV makes his first papal visit to Catalonia since 2010. While many Catholic Catalans are welcoming the trip, critics are raising concerns about public spending, mobility disruption and the limited use of Catalan during the visit.
The Catalan government has called for respect and for the visit to proceed with the utmost normality, according to Vilaweb. The Pope is due to arrive at Barcelona airport on Tuesday at 12:25, before going to Barcelona Cathedral for a prayer and a meeting with volunteers.
Later on Tuesday, he is scheduled to attend an event with 35,000 Catholics at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, arriving at 20:00 in the Popemobile. On Wednesday morning, he will visit Brians I prison and Montserrat Abbey, where he will lead the rosary and have lunch with the Benedictine community. In the afternoon, he will meet the community of Sant Agustí del Raval parish in Barcelona and travel through the city centre to the Sagrada Família, where he will bless and inaugurate the Jesus Christ tower.
Several secular groups have organised a protest for Tuesday at 19:00 at Passeig del Born in Barcelona. The demonstration, under the slogan, “I'm not waiting for you. For secularism and against the public privileges of Pope Leo XIV's visit”, is being organised by the Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia Foundation, Europa Laica Catalunya and Ateus de Catalunya. It is backed by groups including Esquerra Unida, USTEC, CGT, CUP, Acció Escolta, Esplais Catalans, Podem and Jovent Republicà.
The groups say they object to public resources being used for what they see as a religious visit treated like a state visit. Their manifesto criticises the 1979 agreements between the Spanish state and the Holy See, and calls for institutional neutrality, no public funds for religious events, and no official participation by institutional representatives in liturgical acts. They also want a review of public media coverage, with 3Cat, RTVE and Betevé broadcasting the Pope’s public events.
There is also controversy over the limited use of Catalan in the published missal. Archbishop of Barcelona Joan Josep Omella said he expected the Pope to use Catalan “as much as he can”, but confirmed that the blessing of the Jesus Christ tower at the Sagrada Família would be in Spanish “so everyone understands it”. Several organisations have called for people to greet the Pope with estelades at the Sagrada Família, including the Lliga Espiritual de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat, the ANC, Òmnium Cultural, the Consell de la República and the Associació de Municipis per la Independència.
Education unions are also planning action during the visit. USTEC, CGT, Intersindical, CNT and COS have called a new strike for Tuesday after most teachers rejected a pre-agreement, and have warned of plans to “block Catalonia”. Barcelona City Council workers, who have been on strike for months, have agreed to mobilise on 9 and 10 June. Their action, organised by Intersindical and CGT, is tied to demands for a new collective agreement, a specific negotiation table for direct care services, a real and equal 35-hour working week, more staff and better pay.