Catalan church leaders 'joyfully welcome' election of Pope Leo XIV

Leaders of the Catholic Church in Catalonia have welcomed the election of Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV. 

White smoke emerged from the Vatican on Thursday after the conclave of 135 cardinals elected the church's first US pope. 

The Abbot of Montserrat, Manel Gasch, said: "We joyfully welcome his election and the fact that, after weeks of tension, we have heard his voice and his message of peace."

The new pope was born in Chicago but spent many years as a missionary in Peru and has dual citizenship, leading Gasch to highlight his "multicultural character." 

The abbot also pointed out Pope Leo XIV's ties with Catalonia's holy mountain of Montserrat, recalling that he founded a parish of Our Lady of Montserrat in Peru.

"We imagine he must know the sanctuary and who we are," Gasch said in a statement.

He also pointed out that on Catalonia's national day, September 11, in 1881, Pope Leo XIII declared Our Lady of Montserrat, the Moreneta, an official patron saint of Catalonia.

"A great pope"

The Bishop of Solsona, Francesc Conesa, described the new pope as "a simple man, very approachable," and expressed confidence that he will be "a great pope for the church."

Conesa told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that he personally met Robert Prevost during the Synod on Synodality in 2023 and 2024. "He was present at all the sessions, we crossed paths, and he's a man with whom you can speak very naturally," he said.

Papal inauguration of Sagrada Família 

The Archbishop of Tarragona, Joan Planellas, highlighted the missionary character of the new Pope, Leo XIV, predicting "a papacy with a lot of pastoral experience."

"It is very important that for many years he has been a pastor with a missionary spirit in a simple, austere, poor environment.

He didn’t stay in his country, but spent half of his life in Peru, and that is extremely significant," he told ACN.

Planellas believes that Robert Prevost will bring "renewal," in a similar way to his predecessor Francis.

Regarding the possibility of him visiting Catalonia, the archbishop said that the inauguration of the Sagrada Família could be a good reason for him to come.

Pastors and prophets

Sister Lucía Caram, a well-known Argentine-born Dominican nun based in Manresa, told ACN she was very satisfied with the cardinals' choice, believing the new pope will continue with the processes started by Pope Francis, "but in his own way."

"We don't want diplomats or politicians, we want pastors and prophets," Caram said.

She also pointed out that although the Catholic Church in the US was not aligned with Francis and is very conservative, "it will hardly go against an American pope."

Meanwhile, Catalan and Spanish political figures have wished the new pope well.