A New Contract for Religious Pluralism
Barcelona City Council is launching a tender worth €1,068,675.12 to fund the municipal Office of Religious Affairs (OAR) for the next two fiscal years. The contract aims to strengthen the city’s response to its diverse religious landscape, which includes 37 registered religious or spiritual traditions, 1,007 religious entities and communities, and 537 registered places of worship. The OAR operates under the Department of Interculturality and Religious Pluralism, part of the Area of Social Rights, Culture, and Education. It functions as a technical and advisory body to support religious freedom, combat discrimination, and promote social cohesion through dialogue and visibility.
Rooted in the Interculturality Plan
The OAR originates from the Barcelona Interculturality Plan 2021–2030, approved on 28th May 2021, which integrates religious pluralism as a core element of the city’s diversity. The office supports the plan’s five key pillars: equality and non-discrimination; recognition of religious diversity; social cohesion; intercultural knowledge and calendar development; and institutional participation and coexistence. According to the tender file, the OAR’s role includes providing specialised advice, mediation, training, and monitoring of religious life in the city. It also develops educational materials and organises public events to foster mutual understanding among communities.
This volume and complexity of tasks require a multidisciplinary team with specific competencies in religious pluralism, interculturality, and activity production.
Team and Operational Costs
The annual budget for the contract is €883,202.58 excluding VAT, up from €524,454 in 2024. The majority of the funding, €594,337.75, covers personnel costs, including a coordinator earning €110,199.46 (including social contributions) and six senior technical staff. Additional funds are allocated for event organisation, communications, infrastructure, and external speakers. The tender specifies detailed requirements for event catering, including clearly labelled halal, kosher, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, as well as coffee and infusions with plant-based milk and sweeteners.
Continuity with Bayt-Al Thaqafa Foundation
The OAR has been managed since 2013 by the Bayt-Al Thaqafa Private Foundation, which held the previous contract awarded in 2022 and extended pending this new tender. Between 2018 and 2026, the foundation received €7.27 million in public contracts and subsidies, primarily from Barcelona City Council, but also from the Department of Justice and the Department of Social Rights. The foundation’s role includes running the OAR’s public services, managing its blog, and coordinating interfaith events such as the Night of Religions and commemorations of Durga Puja, Sukkot, and Janmashtami.
Public Access and Services
The OAR is open to the public from Monday to Friday, with extended afternoon hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. It offers advisory services, training sessions, and resources on religious diversity, available through its official website. In 2025, the office delivered 1,541 actions, including 1,331 advisory services, 43 training sessions, and 20 public dialogue events.
Sources: Tot Barcelona, Ajuntament de Barcelona, bayt-al-thaqafa.org.
