BARCELONA, Catalonia, the Popular Party’s spokesperson in the Catalan Parliament, Juan Fernández, said on Tuesday that it is not the Pope’s role to defend the Catalan language. He was responding to Junts spokesperson in the Congress, Miriam Nogueras, after she asked the Pontiff to use Catalan during his visit to Catalonia.
Fernández told reporters in the chamber that Catalonia should show “institutional sense” and avoid projecting the image he said was shown by Nogueras. He said the Pope and Catalan society deserve a serious approach.
He added that the responsibility for promoting and defending Catalan belongs to those who have governed for the past 40 years. In his view, that duty does not fall to Madrid, to third parties, and “much less the Pope”.
Fernández also said the Pontiff’s visit to Catalonia is “an apostolic visit, not a political visit”. He said some sectors had tried to politicise it and use it for their own demands.
“He does not come to Catalonia to participate in our partisan debates, nor to take a position on controversies, nor to enter into political discourses from one side or another,” Fernández said. “He comes as a pastor of the Catholic Church, he comes to announce the Gospel.”
He said he does not doubt that the Pope respects Catalan, like all languages and cultures worldwide, but stressed that the Pope’s role is religious, not linguistic. Fernández also praised the image of “institutional normality” he said was seen in Madrid, despite political disagreements there at the time.
Fernández said that is the kind of respect and maturity he would like to see in Catalonia too. He added that the Pope’s visit speaks to all Catalans on issues such as the importance of family, and suggested the Catalan government should take note, saying family policies have been pushed into the background.