MONTSERRAT, Spain — The rugged silhouette of the Montserrat mountain range was one of the first symbols of Catalonia that Pope Leo XIV saw from above as his plane brought him to Barcelona from Madrid on June 9.
The following day, the pope traveled by car to the mountainous area of Montserrat — whose name in Catalan means "serrated mountain" — home to a Benedictine abbey, which rises to a height of over 4,000 feet on the west side of the Llobregat River.
Before arriving, however, the pontiff made a brief detour during the approximate 25-mile journey from Barcelona to stop at Brians 1 Penitentiary Center — a place steeped in suffering, where the lives of inmates find some comfort thanks to the prison chaplain, Father Jesús Bel, coordinator of prison ministry for the Diocese of Sant Feliu de Llobregat and a Mercedarian priest who has spent 40 years accompanying those deprived of their freedom.
As he did during his trip to Equatorial Guinea, the pope embraced the suffering carried by prisoners.
There, he heard directly from two inmates, Montserrat and Josefina, about the importance of having an anchor such as faith in Christ when life shows its harshest face. Their testimony moved the pope.
"Here in prison I am not alone — Jesus gives me strength, he gives me life. I feel him within me; otherwise, I don't know how I could have endured this," Josefina told him.
After her words, a heavy silence fell. Then, Leo offered a reflection that resonated among those present: "The mistakes of a person's life do not determine who they are."
God loves you as you are
The pontiff invoked St. Augustine to underscore that the past does not chain the future, adding: "God loves you just as you are, but he dreams of you being even better! The Lord allows us all to start anew, for being human and being Christian does not mean never making mistakes, but rather growing in the ability to convert, repent, make amends, and, above all, to reconcile and forgive."
The encounter — though barely 20 minutes — set the tone for the rest of the day: the mercy of God embracing even the darkest hearts.
The ascent to Montserrat
After visiting the prison, the pontiff headed to the Abbey of Montserrat, nestled among towering rock formations that resemble sculpted figures of animals or objects. The monastery radiates peace both inside and outside its ancient walls.
In 1025, Abbot Oliba, then superior of the monastery of Ripoll, founded a smaller monastery on the mountain of Montserrat at a site where a small hermitage dedicated to the Virgin already stood.
According to tradition, the first image of the Virgin — known in Catalan as "La Mare de Déu de Montserrat" — was discovered in the year 880 by children tending a flock in a cave after seeing a light on the mountain.
When the bishop learned of the discovery, he sought to move the small statue to Manresa but was unable to do so because it became too heavy — a sign, he believed, that the Virgin wished to remain there. He then ordered a sanctuary to be built on the spot.
At the foot of Montserrat, after praying the rosary, the pope lifted up his prayer: "Let us ask her to help us clothe ourselves only with the armor of God."
"Let us also consider how the Virgin holds the globe in her right hand, a sign of her maternal care, for the whole world finds a place in her heart. She invites us to recognize one another as brothers and sisters, so that no one is excluded and that communion is stronger than every division," he added.
The image of Mary currently venerated is a 12th-century Romanesque wooden sculpture, just over 3 feet tall, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus.
Except for the faces and hands, the statue is covered in gold, while the Virgin's dark complexion has earned her the popular nickname "La Moreneta." In 2023, Pope Francis offered a Golden Rose to this venerated image.
Among those who entrusted themselves to her was St. Ignatius of Loyola, in one of the most profound conversions in Christian tradition: "After a night spent in prayer before the Virgin, [he] laid aside his knightly arms — a moment that marked the beginning of a new life in the service of Jesus Christ," Pope Leo XIV recalled.
For centuries, faithful from all walks of life have passed through this sanctuary, praying the rosary bead by bead, because Mary, "Mare de Déu," as the pope said, "is fundamental in the life of every Christian."
"I am happy to come to the feet of La Moreneta to entrust to her, with full confidence in her maternal intercession, my Petrine ministry and the mission of the Church in a world that cries out for justice and peace," the pope said.
"I invite you today to accept Mary's invitation: 'Do whatever he tells you' (Jn 2:5). These words spoken at Cana in Galilee contain a true guide for Christian living, because Mary leads us to Christ and teaches us to listen to his voice, obey his word, and allow him to transform us," he added.
The pontiff also made clear the message God brought to the world when he became man: "Jesus shows us the path of mercy, reconciliation, truth, and gentleness. At the same time, he exposes the violence that can lurk in our words and attitudes: criticism that humiliates, condemnation that destroys, and aggression that divides."
That hidden violence, he continued, "can often disguise itself as a kind of armor, which we use to protect our wounds, our fears, and the suffering caused by injustice."
Over the centuries, Montserrat has grown as living things do — with scars and memory. It has not always been a place of peace. It was plundered, destroyed, abandoned. Yet it always rose again, as if the mountain itself sustained it.
Leo XIV concluded by asking that "Mary, Mother of the Church, always guide us to Jesus. I invite you to honor her with these words that you know so well: To the Catalans, you will always be the Princess; to the Spanish people and to the whole world, all our love; say to us: You are my treasure, I am your mother, do not be afraid."
In the abbey cloister, hundreds of people waited eagerly for the pope. Among them was Miguel, a kind-eyed boy who wrote a letter hoping to hand it to the pontiff himself.
"He wanted to write it in Italian, even though the pope — as we know — speaks Spanish perfectly," said his father, also named Miguel. In the letter, he asks nothing for himself or his family.
"I would like him to bless all of Ukraine," said the 9-year-old, an avid reader who currently keeps the greatest of all books on his nightstand. "I'm reading the Bible. I love everything about it," he said.
'Catalonia without La Moreneta would be nothing'
Also waiting for the pope were two nuns from the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Sister Ángeles Piqué, from a small town in Lleida, and Sister Doraliza, originally from Cajamarca, Peru.
"We need the pope to bring us Christ's message: unity, fraternity, and to come to the Virgin as our point of reference," Sister Doralizia said.
She gave voice to the widespread devotion to the Virgin of Montserrat in this region of Spain. "Catalonia without La Moreneta would be nothing," she said.
"Our Lady of Montserrat is a very special grace. This is her sanctuary, and all her children come here to ask for her protection and to be sheltered under her mantle," Piqué added.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
