Pope Leo XIV Names Octavi Vilà Archbishop of Barcelona
Octavi Vilà, a Cistercian monk and bishop of Girona, will succeed Joan Josep Omella as archbishop of Barcelona and take office on Dec. 19.
The Holy See announced on Nov. 11 that Pope Leo XIV has named Octavi Vilà, until now bishop of Girona, as the new archbishop of Barcelona. He replaces Joan Josep Omella, who turned 80 this year, and will take possession of the archdiocese on Saturday, Dec. 19, according to go.eln.cat.
Vilà is a Cistercian monk born in Tarragona in 1961. He takes over a diocese that church sources told Ara is divided along several lines, and he leaves behind a Girona see that is vacant again.
From Poblet abbey to Girona to Barcelona
Vilà entered the Poblet monastery in 2005 and was elected abbot by his fellow monks in 2015, a post he held for nine years. In 2024 Pope Francis made him bishop of Girona. That choice surprised many people inside the Church, Ara reports, because he came straight from the abbey.
He holds a degree in geography and history (1984) and a diploma in library science and documentation. He worked at the Hemeroteca de Tarragona (the city’s newspaper archive) from 1983 to 2005. Ara describes him as one of the most committed voices against sexual abuse in the Church, and says he wants to promote the role of women and of lay people.
How the appointment came about
The announcement fell on a day of general strike. According to go.eln.cat, the pope’s visit to Catalonia sped up Omella’s departure, and Vilà’s name gained weight in recent weeks until he led all the predictions. During that visit Vilà spoke in favor of using Catalan, notably at the blessing of the Tower of Jesus at the Sagrada Família.
Vilà said he was told on Oct. 27, after the apostolic nuncio (the Pope’s representative in Spain) asked to meet him on Oct. 24. He said he believes the appointment “responds to the will of God” and that he never sought it. He also asked the nuncio to fill the Girona vacancy quickly, because he does not want the diocese left waiting. Girona had already gone two years without a bishop after Francesc Pardo died in 2022.
Reactions and the political reading
Omella welcomed his successor in a letter as a pastor who comes from nearby and knows lay, religious and ordained life in the diocese. Joan Planellas, archbishop of Tarragona, called the appointment good news. Lluc Salellas, the CUP mayor of Girona, said the city’s Christian community loses a bishop but that the country gains an archbishop who knows it and shares Catalan values.
Ara reports that far-right groups have attacked Vilà over his links to former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who stayed at Poblet as a child and whom Vilà received there in 2016 when Puigdemont was president. Puigdemont welcomed Vilà’s 2024 appointment to Girona. During the independence process Vilà backed the right to decide and dialogue, according to Ara, and he visited prisoners. Ara adds that he defends the Catalan language and has spoken against extremism on hatred of immigrants.
Why it matters for the archdiocese
Church sources told Ara that the Barcelona archdiocese is split between conservatism and progressivism, between Catalan nationalism and Spanish nationalism, by social class, and between a spiritual and a social, charity-focused approach. Those sources say Vilà’s ability to bring people together was one of the most discussed points inside the Church. Ara also reports that Omella, who has known Vilà for many years through their ties to Poblet, gave his approval.
Vilà will take office on Saturday, Dec. 19.
Sources: Ara, go.eln.cat
