In Barcelona, former presidents of the Generalitat, Parliament leaders and civil society groups have asked the Pope to pray in Catalan during his visit to Catalonia. The appeal was published on 5 June in several newspapers and says they hope he will pray in the language they use to address God.

The signatories include five former presidents of the Generalitat, Jordi Pujol, Artur Mas, Carles Puigdemont, Quim Torra and Pere Aragonès. Current Parliament president Josep Rull also signed, along with former chamber presidents Ernest Benach, Núria de Gispert, Carme Forcadell, Roger Torrent, Anna Erra and Laura Borràs. Other names on the appeal include Oriol Junqueras, Joan Ignasi Elena and Jordi Turull.

Several organisations backed the message too, including the Assemblea Nacional Catalana, Òmnium Cultural and Futbol Club Barcelona. Religious groups also signed, among them the Monestir de Sant Pere de les Puel.les nuns, the Comunitats Vedrunes de Catalunya and the Xarxa d'Entitats Cristianes, a network of 29 Catalan Christian entities.

The text says Catalan language and identity have been persecuted in the past, and argues that Catalan culture remaining a living reality in the 21st century is a victory for the freedom of peoples. It also refers to the traditional song Virolai and to Montserrat, linking faith, land and language in the appeal.

The statement also points to the Sagrada Família, where the final piece of the Jesus tower was placed with the Catalan flag and the Holy See flag on top. It recalls earlier papal visits to the basilica by John Paul II in 1982 and Benedict XVI in 2010, and says Antoni Gaudí’s Catalan identity was central to his universality. It also notes that León XIV visited the parish and Ateneu de Sant Roc in Badalona in 2016 as an Augustinian prior.

The appeal ends by describing Catalonia as a society of welcome, saying many people have built better lives there and become part of the country’s present. For readers following the wider debate on language and public life, see our community coverage and sport coverage for more Barcelona stories.

Originally published by Europa Press Barcelona. Read original article.