American Pope Takes Sides in Spain's Culture Wars
Pope Leo XIV didn't shy away from a fight when he touched down in Barcelona on Tuesday. The U.S.-born pontiff dove headfirst into two of Spain's most divisive cultural battles: soccer loyalty and language politics.
Real Madrid Over Barça: The Pope Picks a Side
Before he even landed, Leo made his sporting allegiance crystal clear. When asked which team he backs, he didn't dodge the question like a typical politician.
The pope is for all teams, but Prevost is for Real Madrid.
Those words sealed his fate with Barcelona fans instantly. Real Madrid's social media team wasted no time posting the clip, and commentators had a field day. Tomás Roncero, a prominent voice at Spanish sports daily AS, declared that the pope couldn't support Barça because it's a sinful club, calling Madrid pure and clean.
Leo doubled down during his time in the capital. He toured Real Madrid's trophy room with club president Florentino Pérez, who handed him a personalized jersey reading Robert F. Prevost. On Monday, thousands packed Real Madrid's home stadium for a papal rally where dancers kicked soccer balls dressed in Vatican colors.
Today the Church in Madrid has scored a great goal to always be remembered!
Barcelona supporters weren't amused. Eduard Modroño, an office worker and Barça fan standing outside the Sagrada Familia, didn't mince words: a figure that important shouldn't take sides, and by backing Madrid, the pope messed it up.
The Language Battle: Catalan vs. Spanish
Then there's the language question, a powder keg in Catalan politics. Many Catalans wanted the pope to speak their tongue publicly, not Spanish. Leo tried to defuse the tension by opening his Barcelona cathedral homily in Catalan before switching to Spanish.
Beloved brothers and sisters, it is with great pleasure that I start my visit holding the midday prayer at this cathedral.
Catalan, spoken by roughly 10 million people, was suppressed under Francisco Franco's dictatorship. The language survived, and its defense fueled the separatist movement that peaked with a failed independence bid in 2017. It's a classic case of local identity pushing back against centralized control, something Americans understand well.
But for some, a few words weren't enough. Modroño, the same Barcelona fan, said speaking entirely in Catalan matters more than any sports rivalry. It is a lack of respect not to speak entirely in Catalan, he argued.
Barcelona's archbishop, Juan José Omella, tried to keep expectations realistic. He told reporters the pope prepared his speeches knowing Catalonia has an ancient language that has never been lost, but he can only do so much and doesn't want to end up looking silly in a language he doesn't speak.
American Pope, European Culture Wars
Previous popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI used some Catalan during their Barcelona visits in 1982 and 2010. Spain's king also speaks Catalan when visiting the region. But Spanish politicians from outside Catalonia rarely bother, a fact that doesn't go unnoticed.
Míriam Noqueras, from the pro-independence party Junts, told the pontiff in English at Spain's parliament on Monday that speaking the language of the land that welcomes you is a wonderful act of love and respect, calling Catalonia her nation.
For an American pope walking into centuries-old European tensions, Leo's approach is straightforward: pick your team, speak the local language when you can, and don't apologize for who you are. It's the kind of unapologetic stance that resonates back home, even if it ruffles feathers abroad.
After Barcelona, the pope heads to the Canary Islands to continue his weeklong visit to Spain.