Pope's Catalonia visit fuels language dispute and satirical backlash

Pope Leo XIV's visit to Catalonia sparked political controversy. Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont urged his supporters to receive the pontiff with whistles and pro‑independence flags, condemning what he called the “Francoist Catholicism” of Cardinal Juan José Omella and criticizing the lack of Catalan language use during the Pope's stay.

The Spanish comedy show Polònia responded with a televised sketch in which a character named “Antoni Gaudí” angrily rebuked Cardinal Omella for speaking Spanish rather than Catalan. The gag also mocked the €2.3 million public expenditure on the papal visit, featuring historical figures Lluís Companys and Francesc Macià and exaggerating the cost in a humorous manner.