Junts president, Carles Puigdemont, has escalated the controversy surrounding the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Barcelona this Wednesday, calling for him to be received with independence flags and whistles around the Sagrada Familia. The post on X responds to the joint call from ANC, Òmnium Cultural, the Consell de la República, the Associació de Municipis per la Independència, and the Lliga Espiritual de la Mare de Déu de Montserrat, who are urging citizens to gather on June 10th, at 6:00 PM, near the temple.

The pro-independence initiative is activated amidst controversy over the role of Catalan during the papal visit and after Cardinal Juan José Omella refused to place the senyera in the Sagrada Familia for the Pontiff's presence. The entities had formally requested the Archbishopric of Barcelona to install the Catalan flag in the basilica, but the response was negative. Omella cited "usual protocol" and the "commemorative and liturgical character" of the event to dismiss the proposal. "We regret this refusal that seeks to disconnect the historical, cultural, and national relationship between the Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudí, and Catalonia", the entities stated in a joint press release.

The protest aims to leverage the international focus of the visit to advocate for the Catalan language, the country's culture, and the figure of Gaudí. The entities consider that the Sagrada Familia, the architect, and Catalonia are part of the same historical and cultural root, and denounce what they interpret as an attempt at "Hispanization" of Gaudí. They recall the architect's commitment to Catalan and episodes from his biography that have made him a reference for cultural Catalanism.

Puigdemont echoed this sentiment in his X message: "Catalan is the native language of Catalonia, without which neither Gaudí nor the Sagrada Familia can be explained". The Junts president also directly criticized Omella, accusing him of heeding José María Aznar instead of acknowledging the recognition of peoples and their identity.

The call comes, moreover, at a time of shift regarding the presence of Catalan in the Pope's events, which will finally include Catalan in the blessing of the Torre de Jesús. The limited initial presence of Catalan had caused discontent among several Catalan bishops, such as Joan Planellas (Archbishopric of Tarragona) and Octavi Vilà (Bishop of Girona), who advocated for a greater presence of the native language. The Government of Salvador Illa, through the Department of Justice and Democratic Quality led by Ramon Espadaler, has also held conversations with the Archbishopric of Barcelona to demand greater inclusion of Catalan.