An expected decision
If we were a normal country, the fact that the Archbishop of Valencia published the Gospel every day in Valencian (or Catalan) would not be news. In fact, all dioceses publish the Gospel in their own language. And this is not news. Enter into normality.
But unfortunately, the hierarchy of the Valencian Country, since time immemorial, has been Castilianist and Castilianizing, with the exception of the last bishops of Tortosa and the long-lost bishops of Sogorb-Castelló, Josep Pont i Gol and Josep M. Cases.
And it is that when the Second Vatican Council ended, in the diocese of Valencia and also in that of Oriola-Alacant, the liturgy went from Latin to Spanish, ignoring and despising the native language of the Valencian Country . And despite the fact that in 1965 more than 20,000 Valencians signed a manifesto asking the bishops to introduce the Valencian language into the Church, the bishops of Valencia and Oriola-Alacant did not make what those Valencians asked for a reality.
One small step
The edition of the Gospel of each day in Valencian is a small step, since the previous archbishops of Valencia did nothing to favor the Valencian language in the liturgy.
Yes, I was surprised that the director of the Diocesan Liturgy Delegation of Valencia, Edgar Esteve, said that “if there is a demand, the Church will always respond to the needs of the People of God” (Religión Digital, February 12 2024). If there is demand? When in 1965 the Mass was changed from Latin to Spanish, was there a demand? It was the bishops of Valencia and Oriola-Alacant, Marcelino Olaechea and Pablo Barrachina, who decided to switch from Latin to Spanish. There was no demand from the Valencian Christians. In any case, the demand (with more than 20,000 signatures) was for the liturgy to be held in Valencian or Catalan. And this request was ignored.
A bet for the language
Welcome to the edition of the Gospel of every day in Valencian. But don’t let Archbishop Benavent’s commitment to our language stop here. When will we have the Roman Missal in Valencian?