Overview

• On July 30, Barcelona’s City Council officially refused to reintegrate the traditional pontifical Mass into this year’s Mercè festival program.
• Council sources characterized Lluís Danés’s new poster as a purely secular homage to the city’s itinerant arts and theatrical heritage.
• The Archdiocese of Barcelona condemned the design for what it called an irreverent depiction that ridicules the Virgin and reiterated its call for the Mass’s return.
• The opposition parties PP and Vox aligned with the Church’s complaint, demanding institutional respect for Barcelona’s patron saint traditions.
• Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya urged both sides to de-escalate tensions as the city prepares to launch its annual patronal festivities.