Barcelona is at the centre of a fresh political row after Barcelona en Comú criticised Mayor Jaume Collboni over Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the city and his role in other major events.
The party says the mayor has shown “waste and inefficiency” and has not defended Barcelona’s secular character. The dispute has also widened into a broader argument about how the council handles big public events and what they mean for residents.
Gerardo Pisarello, Barcelona en Comú’s candidate for the 2027 mayoral race, posted a video titled “Collboni has turned the Pope’s visit into a postcard”. In it, he said the visit involved “many photos, much institutional pomp, and very little coherence”.
Pisarello linked the criticism to local pressures, saying there are “social services on strike, cuts in public housing, and no brave response to homelessness”. He also said Barcelona is “a secular city” and argued that the mayor had not lived up to that principle.
He called for “a secular, diverse Barcelona, respectful of all beliefs, but without any institutional or state privilege”. Pisarello also criticised the “excessive expenses of the papal visit” and what he described as outdated positions within the Catholic Church.
The Socialist Party rejected the attack, calling the argument “simplistic” and “Manichaean”. Socialists also pointed to Olympic Stadium of Montjuïc and said Barcelona en Comú’s stance was inconsistent, given that party figures have also taken part in public events linked to the Pope.
The row sits within a wider campaign by Barcelona en Comú against major events in the city. The group has also criticised Socialist leaders attending a Bad Bunny concert and opposed Barcelona hosting the start of the Tour de France in July. For more on local politics and city debates, see our Community coverage and Sport coverage.
