The Archbishop of Pamplona and Bishop of Tudela, Florencio Roselló, took advantage of the Mass of San Fermín celebrated this Monday to present the patron saint of Navarre as an «immigrant» and to link his figure with several messages delivered by Leo XIV during his recent trip to Spain. In a homily marked by references to welcome, coexistence, and migration, the prelate also issued a call to public officials to foster a climate of greater understanding.
During the celebration, which took place at the parish of San Lorenzo after the traditional procession of the saint, Roselló drew a parallel between San Fermín and the Pope by stating that both left their homeland to proclaim the Gospel. «They left their land, crossed uncertain paths, and arrived in another nation, another culture, proclaiming the Gospel. They experienced in their own flesh what it means to be foreigners, to be immigrants,» he affirmed.
The archbishop connected this reflection with one of Leo XIV’s interventions during his visit to Spain, recalling his words on immigration: «Dignity has no passport, knows no borders.»
Call for political harmony
Roselló also used the patron saint’s feast day to address Navarre’s political class. Drawing inspiration from the speech Leo XIV delivered in the Congress of Deputies, he urged public, social, and religious leaders to set an example of coexistence.
«Public, social, and religious leaders are called to be the first to bear witness,» he stated. That witness, he added, involves «seeing not rivals, but brothers; not enemies, but fellow citizens.»
“San Fermín is for everyone”
Another key theme of the homily was the open character of the San Fermín festivities. Roselló highlighted that both believers and people distant from the Church take part in the procession and affirmed that «San Fermín is for everyone, and San Fermín welcomes everyone.»
Building on this idea, he described the procession as «the hope of an entire people» and used the image of the saint’s traditional little cape to present a Church «with open doors,» under whose shelter, he said, «there is room for everyone.»
The prelate also invited attendees to «change their perspective» in order to see others «as persons, not as rivals,» «as brothers, not as enemies,» respecting the dignity of every person «no matter where they are from or where they come from.»
The Christian roots of the festival
In his homily, Roselló also reclaimed the Christian origin of the San Fermín festivities. To this end, he recalled a statement made by Leo XIV during the celebration of Corpus Christi in Madrid, when the Pontiff warned that popular religiosity cannot become a «museum,» but must remain a «school of faith.»
The example of martyrdom
In the final part of the celebration, the archbishop recalled the martyrdom of San Fermín as an example of fidelity to Christ. «He could have accepted a lie, he could have remained silent, but instead San Fermín said: faithful unto death,» he affirmed.
Roselló concluded by asking that the patron saint «continue walking in Pamplona and in Navarre» and that the faithful know how to follow in his footsteps «making life more pleasant and agreeable for all those around us.»