Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, issued a statement on Sunday calling on citizens not to be «dragged into a spiral of violence and confrontation» following the disturbances recorded in the city center. According to COPE, the prelate warns that this path leads to no solution and «further aggravates the problems.»
In the text, Omella describes the events as a scenario of «gratuitous violence, looting, and destruction,» scenes that, he says, cause him surprise and pain. The cardinal adds that these events raise numerous questions and calls for reflection on «the causes that trigger these outbreaks,» without attributing them to any specific group.
The archbishop also devotes part of the statement to the way we speak in the public sphere. He urges care in language and to reject communication that polarizes and can fuel violence, particularly messages that portray one side and the other as irreconcilable enemies. In the same vein, he recalls that «there is much more that unites us than what separates us.»
Omella also emphasizes that everyone has the right to live in peace, something that, he states, can only be achieved through respect for others and the norms of coexistence. He adds an appeal for solidarity with the most vulnerable and needy, so that they may live with dignity. The statement concludes with an invitation to prayer: «Let us pray for peace to be established in our city,» in homes and in hearts.
The cardinal’s tone, by contrast, is one of a call for serenity and coexistence, centered on the rejection of violence and the responsibility of all not to stoke confrontation. The statement does not address issues of public order or the actions of security forces, and makes no reference to specific measures by the authorities.