Pope Leo XIV has Octavi Vilà appointed him the new Archbishop of Barcelona. The former Bishop of Girona succeeds Cardinal Juan José Omella, whose resignation the Pope has accepted. The Vatican and the Spanish Bishops’ Conference announced the decision on 11 November 2026.
Vilà is due to begin his ministry in Barcelona on Saturday 19 December. The Archdiocese of Barcelona said this. It will announce details of the inauguration at a later date. The appointment has therefore already been made, but he is yet to take up the post.
The change affects two Catholic dioceses in the Spanish region of Catalonia. Vilà has led the Diocese of Girona. The announcements of the appointment did not name his successor there. According to the Europa Press news agency, Omella expressed the hope that Girona would have a bishop again as soon as possible.
The new archbishop was born in Tarragona on 11 December 1961. According to the Bishops’ Conference, he initially studied geography and history, as well as library and information science. He later studied, among other subjects, information technology, cultural management, philosophy and theology.
In 2005, Vilà entered Poblet Cistercian Monastery . He took his solemn religious vows in 2010 and was ordained a priest in 2015. In December of that year, the community elected him abbot. Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Girona in February 2024; he was consecrated a bishop on 21 April 2024.
Omella was born in 1946 in Cretas, in the province of Teruel. Before coming to Barcelona, he was, among other roles, Bishop of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño. His appointment as Archbishop of Barcelona was announced on 6 November 2015; he took up the post on 26 December 2015. From 2020 to 2024, he headed the Spanish Bishops’ Conference.
According to Europa Press, Omella announced that he would live in Zaragoza . Vilà is due to introduce himself publicly at a press conference on 24 November, according to the agency. Omella also welcomed his successor in a statement published by the archdiocese.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).