The visit of Leo XIV to Catalonia continues to generate controversy even before it begins. On the same day that the Vatican modified the program for the blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Familia to include Catalan following pressure from separatist leaders, a sexual abuse whistleblower has now asked the Pontiff to suspend his visit to the Montserrat monastery.
According to 3Cat, Miguel Hurtado, known for having reported abuses suffered in the environment of the Benedictine abbey, appeared this Tuesday before the Apostolic Nunciature in Madrid to demand that Leo XIV cancel his stop at Montserrat and hold a meeting with abuse victims during his stay in Spain.
New pressure on the papal trip agenda
The request comes just days before the Pope’s arrival in Barcelona, where he is scheduled to preside over several events of great ecclesial significance. Among them stands out the blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Familia, one of the central moments of the visit, as well as a subsequent pilgrimage to the Montserrat monastery.
The activist described Montserrat as the “ground zero of Church abuse in Spain” and argued that the papal visit should not take place while, according to his claims, disagreements over reparations for victims continue.
Criticism of the compensation policy
Hurtado maintains that the Benedictine community of Montserrat has refused to compensate him and accuses the abbey of having declared itself a “moral objector” to the compensation mechanisms established after the agreement reached between the Spanish Church and the Government on reparations for abuse victims.
In his view, the agreement contains loopholes that allow some religious institutions to avoid economic reparation commitments. For this reason, he is calling for more decisive intervention from both the Spanish Church and the Holy See.
Demands a meeting with victims
In addition to requesting the cancellation of the visit to Montserrat, Hurtado has called for Leo XIV to hold a specific meeting with abuse victims during his stay in Spain.
The whistleblower considers it contradictory that the Pope has scheduled meetings with civil and ecclesiastical authorities without including those who have suffered abuse within the Church.
According to him, he expects a response from the Vatican before Friday and does not rule out taking further action coinciding with the papal visit and the planned meeting between Leo XIV and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.
Cobo recalls that the Pope cannot accommodate all meeting requests
Asked about the possibility of Leo XIV holding a specific meeting with abuse victims during his trip to Spain, Cardinal José Cobo recalled this Wednesday that the papal agenda is receiving numerous requests for meetings from various ecclesial and social sectors.
“There are a thousand groups pressuring for the Pope to meet with them,” stated the Archbishop of Madrid and Vice President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. He explained that it will be up to the Pontiff himself and the Vatican delegation to determine which meetings can take place during the visit.
Cobo also emphasized that Leo XIV has already met with abuse victims on several occasions since the beginning of his pontificate and assured that he will continue to do so in the future. “That does not mean these issues do not interest the Pope; it simply means that time is time,” he noted.
An increasingly politicized trip
The new controversy adds to the recent debate generated by the language of the blessing of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Familia. After the initial publication of the celebration’s missal, separatist leaders, institutional representatives, and various voices from ecclesial Catalanism criticized the fact that the moment would take place in Spanish.
Political pressure ultimately led to a correction by the Holy See, which finally decided to include Catalan in the ceremony.
Just days before the trip, Leo XIV’s visit to Catalonia continues to accumulate debates unrelated to the main purpose of his journey.