Torreciudad dispute intensifies between Barbastro-Monzon Diocese and Opus Dei

The Diocese of Barbastro-Monzon and Opus Dei remain locked in a long-standing dispute over the control and religious artifacts of the Torreciudad sanctuary in Huesca, Spain. Bishop Ángel Pérez Pueyo has challenged Opus Dei’s claim to the image of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, asserting that no original document has been provided to prove the legal transfer of its use.

The conflict, which has escalated over several years, involves the ownership of the sanctuary, its economic management, and pastoral governance. The Bishop notes that while the image was moved to a new macrotemple in 1975, historical agreements from 1961 regarding the land included provisions to not remove the image from its original hermitage.

The Holy See has appointed Alejandro Arellano, Dean of the Apostolic Signatura, as a plenipotentiary commissioner to resolve the impasse. Arellano is tasked with deciding the future of the complex, which attracts approximately 200,000 pilgrims annually, though a final decision from Rome has yet to be reached.