Solemn mass for victims

Events began at 10 o’clock in the morning. However, hours before the start of the solemn mass in memory of the victims of Thursday’s terrorist attacks in the basilica of the Sagrada Famili¡a, the queue was already more than evident. Almost 2,000 people were present at the ceremony, which was surrounded by measures of security unseen since the visit of the previous Pope in 2010.

Yesterday, the commemorative act presided over by the archbishopric of Barcelona brought together representatives of both the Spanish and Catalan governments, with the presidents Carles Puigdemont and Mariano Rajoy, along with King Felipe VI and Queen Letícia, the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, and mayor of Cambrils, Camí Mendoza, and also the mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena, and various other public figures. The president and prime minister of Portugal (where at least two of the victims came from) were also present. However, the basilica was not completely full, leaving some empty seats at the side of the cathedral.

The Catholic ceremony, presided over by the archbishop of Barcelona, Joan Josep Omella, was held in Catalan and Spanish, although the homily by Omella was exclusively in the latter. The archbishop took advantage of the occasion to call for unity, stating that “unity makes us strong, division corrodes us and destroys us”. Omella, who also read a message of solidarity from Pope Francis, praised the actions of the armed forces of the state and the autonomous region, without mentioning the Mossos d’Esquadra, who have received praise from around the world for their performance over the last few days.