A Letter from Barcelona

Hello!

A Letter from Barcelona

In a few hours, hundreds of media outlets will be in Barcelona because Pope Leo XIV will bless the Tower of Jesus at the Sagrada Família.

In a few hours, you will see on your television and mobile screen majestic images of this wonderful church which, with its Tower of Jesus, has become the tallest church in the entire world.

But if you are not from Barcelona, there is one thing you most likely won't know — and it is very important for truly understanding what is happening today.

You probably know that the Sagrada Família is the work of the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. But what you may not know is that Gaudí was imprisoned for defending his language, Catalan. He was also beaten for participating in an event in defence of poetry written in Catalan.

At that time Spain was under the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, who enacted harsh laws to erase the Catalan language from Catalonia and impose the use of Castilian. Gaudí, like millions of Catalans, suffered under these laws throughout his life.

Gaudí died one hundred years ago, but the repression against the Catalan language persisted. After the Civil War (1936–39) another dictator came to power: Francisco Franco, who also unleashed a brutal repression against the Catalan language. Over the following 40 years, until 1976, the imposition of Castilian in Barcelona was brutal and violent.

So: in a few hours, the centenary of Gaudí's death will be commemorated, and that is why Pope Leo XIV is in Barcelona — to bless his Tower of Jesus.

The problem is that the Vatican has announced that the blessing will be conducted in Castilian, relegating Gaudí's language to a secondary role.

So if nothing changes, in a few hours, once again, Gaudí's language will be pushed aside and marginalised, and Castilian will be imposed against the will of the Catalans. As in the times of the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and Francisco Franco.

By the way, a remarkable detail: at the Leo XIV ceremony, the current King of Spain, Felipe VI de Bourbon, will be present.

Consider:

1. The great-grandfather of the current king was Alfonso XIII, who supported the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera — the regime that imprisoned Gaudí for defending the Catalan language.
2. The father of the current king is Juan Carlos I, who was appointed by dictator Francisco Franco, responsible for a brutal repression of Gaudí's language.

The point is: in a few hours, Leo XIV will bless the Tower of Jesus at the Sagrada Família, and millions of people will see the images.

Everything seems to indicate that Leo XIV will once again set Catalan aside in favour of Castilian. As Primo de Rivera and Franco did.

"Speaking Catalan, for us, is an obligatory tribute we pay to our origins."
— Antoni Gaudí, 1917

The Pope still has time to do what Gaudí and the Catalan people hope for. It would be very sad to see the spiritual guide of Christianity join the two Spanish dictators in their contempt for the language of Gaudí and millions of people.

The Sagrada Família is an architectural marvel that all of humanity can enjoy. And to enjoy it in peace, justice and reconciliation, it is very important that the language of its creator and of the Catalan people who made it possible be respected.

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Thank you so much for your attention. We hope that if one day you come to Barcelona to see the Sagrada Família, you will remember this story. Antoni Gaudí would love to know that we remember his struggle in defence of his language — and ours: Catalan.

Marta Sibina Camps i Albano Dante Fachin

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