Barcelona archbishop to remind new Pope of millennium anniversary of Montserrat Abbey

Barcelona’s archbishop Joan Josep Omella told press on Friday that he intends to remind the newly elected Pope Leo XIV about this year’s millennium anniversary of the Montserrat Abbey, as well as the late Pope Francis’ plan to beatify the Catalan modernist architect Antoní Gaudí, when he meets him on Saturday.

“We have Montserrat, the Sagrada Família and Antoni Gaudí, many activities,” Omella said, before adding, “I don’t know if the pope will be able to see everything in one visit or if he will have to come three times. I will leave it up to him.”

On Saturday, the pope has convened all the cardinals, who are currently in Rome, to hear about their needs, which Omella described as “a very lovely gesture.”

The archbishop recalled that the late Pope Francis had visited Montserrat in 2023, where he gifted it the Golden Rose, which only a few monasteries have.

Asked whether the new pontifex might honor Montserrat as well, Omelia replied that it “remains to be seen,” adding that he will convey the Abbey’s wish to the pope during the meeting.

On the topic of Gaudí, Omella noted that several cardinals he had spoken to in Rome believed that the architect “should be made a saint.”

Following Pope Francis’ footsteps

When asked whether he thought Pope Leo XIV would follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Omella responded that each pope continues the path of the previous one, like boarding a moving train.

“The Church will offer hope to men and women of today and adapt to the needs of the time,” he said. “I believe Leo XIV will do just that.”

Leo XIV, a “humble” and “approachable” pontifex

Omella describes the new pope, whom he knows from the bishop’s dicastery, as “tender” and “approachable.”

“He is an intellectual, but at the same time, he knows how to be with simple people,” explained the archbishop.

He added that the pope’s experience as general of an order had made him “approachable and prepared” and with a “global outlook,” having visited Augustinian orders around the world.

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