The archbishop of Tarragona, Mons. Joan Planellas, assures that whoever rejects the immigrant is not a true Christian

The Archbishop of Tarragona (Spain), Mons. Joan Planellas, has assured that the evangelical message “cannot be understood without openness to the other, especially the poor and the immigrant.”

“A person who rejects immigrants cannot be a true Christian,” he explained in an interview given to ACI Prensa during the pilgrimage to Rome from October 7 to 10, organized by the Archbishopric of Tarragona, in which faithful, priests and representatives of different parishes participated.

In reference to the apostolic exhortation He loved you of Pope Leo XIV, which was published during the week in which the pilgrimage took place, Mons. Planellas explained that being xenophobic and rejecting immigrants “is not Gospel.” In the first pontifical document of Pope Leo, he loved you “It is clearly said that attention to others and especially to the poor is essential to the Christian life. It is an unavoidable aspect of Christianity.”

The archbishop added that this teaching is not reduced to a moral question, but rather has a deep theological foundation: “On the one hand there is teaching, doctrine, faith; and on the other, the celebration of faith. But then there is charity, giving to others and especially to the poor and immigrants, to all those who suffer and do not have the essential conditions to live. And the Pope bases this theologically. This is a great contribution.”

A living and diverse Church in Tarragona

Bishop Planellas described how his archdiocese lives the integration of immigrants with vitality and hope. He explained, for example, that last Sunday, October 5, Emigrant and Refugee Day, he celebrated Mass in Torreforta, Tarragona, and the “Church was packed, it seemed like a global village because there were 25 different countries, and it was a vibrant Eucharist.”

The archbishop highlighted the enriching role of the faithful from other cultures: “Catholics who come from abroad bring us something very important, which is life, new vitality to our Church.”

“Work for harmony and non-polarization”

After the Mass, there was a very significant interreligious meeting: “Each country or group set up a store with products from their land, sweet things. We also made a manifesto for peace, and the Islamic associations of Tarragona were also there. It was an exciting meeting, very nice, because we expressed brotherhood and working for harmony and non-polarization.”

The archbishop even recalled the presence of representatives of the local mosques: “There were representatives of the mosques who invited me to visit them one day. We have to cultivate these little green shoots, and from the Church we have to do it.”

Bishop Planellas assured that it is only a concrete example of what “Jesus did in the Gospel that we have to follow.”

“Jesus welcomed. Furthermore, in the Old Testament it already says: ‘Do not despise any immigrant, because you were also an immigrant in the country of Egypt’. The Old Testament says this,” he explained.

Meeting with Pope Leo XIV during the jubilee pilgrimage

During the visit, the archbishop was able to personally greet Pope Leo XIV at the end of the general audience last Wednesday, October 8.

“It was a very cordial greeting, very emotional, especially for me, because we come to represent, in some way, the entire diocese,” he said.

The archbishop also wanted to give the Holy Father two publications on the Christian heritage of Tarragona: “I gave him two books. One is a summary of early Christianity in Tarraco, of the Christian origins that go back to the preaching of Paul, and the oldest record of martyrdom in the Iberian Peninsula, the martyrdom of Saint Fructuoso and his deacons Augurio and Eulogius, of the year 259. Later I gave him another book, which is The Medieval Cathedral, with very beautiful photographs of the Cathedral of Tarragona,” he concluded.