pope

Pontiff calls for dialogue, says ideologies should be avoided but there is no need to "give up" positions

Members of EU-Catalonia Dialogue Platform request meeting with Catholic church leader

Quim Torra’s letter forwarded to Trump, Xi Jinping, and Pope Francis

A FC Barcelona delegation led by President Josep Maria Bartomeu was in the Vatican City on Thursday to sign an agreement between the Catalan club’s Foundation and the Scholas Occurrentes charity - network of schools being promoted by the pontiff – to set up joint educational actions to promote values. Barça is the first sports club in the world to make such a deal. FC Barcelona was also represented by vice-president Jordi Cardoner, the vice-presidents of the Foundation, Ramon Pont and Ramon Cierco and director Pau Vilanova.

The History Museum of Manresa’s Cathedral (Central Catalonia), which was closed to the public until now, will reveal among its most valuable pieces a Florentine altar frontal dating back to the mid-14^th century. Such a work is one of the world’s most unique frontals, considerably large, embroidered with gold thread and portraying key events in the life of Jesus Christ, with a specific focus laid on his crucifixion. Art Historian Sílvia Ruiz, said to the CNA that this piece is the “cathedral’s jewel” and explained that it was purchased by Catalan merchant Ramon Saera in 1357. Visitors will be able to discover the frontal and others of Manresa’s gems in special guided tours once a month.

Within a year, Pope Francis’ Twitter account, @Pontifex, has reached 12 million followers while his tweets are 4 times more re-tweeted than the ones of U.S. President Barack Obama. Indeed, each of Pope Francis’ messages generates an average of 6,637 re-tweets, while Obama’s messages are re-tweeted 2,309 times on average. Such data was unveiled on Tuesday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which is the main international event of cell phone related technologies. After analyzing the Pope’s impact on the digital environment, the study ‘The Internet loves Pope Francis’ concludes that Pope Francis is the world leader with the greatest influence in social networks, above the Dalai Lama or Cristina Kirchner.

An exhibition on Barcelona’s Sagrada Família Basilica and Antoni Gaudí’s architectural techniques are on show in the Vatican. It focuses on the art, science and spirituality displayed at the Catalan architect’s church. Pope Benedict XVI declared the Sagrada Família a basilica one year ago during a visit to Barcelona. At the time he commented on the beauty of the temple and spoke of his personal admiration for the work of Gaudí.

Zapatero refused to attend the ceremonies in Santiago de Compostela and in Barcelona. This meeting was the only one they shared during the Pope’s trip. Zapatero’s decision, announced several days ago, raised controversy in Spain. The Pope himself contributed to the tension answering back and criticising what he called the “aggressive secularism” present in Spain nowadays, which reminded him of the 1930s atmosphere.

The Pope decided to politicise his visit to Spain. He made a brief speech on the plane after leaving Rome in which he attacked what he called “the aggressive secularism” in Spain nowadays, which reminded him of the situation in the 1930s. It is an attack against Prime Minister Zapatero’s policies and an answer to the individuals and associations protesting against the Pope’s visit. Benedict XVI also criticised Spanish government’s laws during the religious ceremonies.

The Pope has declared the temple a “basilica”. He has also praised Antoni Gaudí’s church and the architect’s talent. The Pope was cheered by believers along the streets of Barcelona on his way to the Sagrada Família. Protesters against the Pope and his visit also showed their disagreement as the Popemobile went by. The ceremony started on time and, as announced, Prime Minister Zapatero did not attend. Benedict XVI continued criticising liberal laws and vindicated the traditional family and its values

Photogragraphs and videos reporting on the Pope's visit to Barcelona can be found here