On April 21, Archbishop Juan José Omella turned 80 and was no longer a cardinal elector. It was the only consequence that his anniversary brought, since he continues as residential bishop of Barcelona, despite the fact that, at the age of 75, he had to present the mandatory resignation due to age. Since then, its acceptance remains at the mercy of the Pope's decision; and this has happened both with Francis and with Leo XIV. However, it is not normal for a bishop, or even a cardinal, to remain in office after 80 years of age. The last Spanish precedent was that of Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez, who was replaced in Valladolid two months after reaching that age.
Four months have now passed with Archbishop Omella and it does not seem that the succession is imminent. Of course, the month of August has passed and we will see... The complexity of the Barcelona diocese and the lack of a strong and clear candidate in the succession pools are slowing down the decision.
Faced with a process that has been dragging on throughout 2026, names are crowding in and speculations are reproduced in the specialized media, to the point that each sector has its own candidate.
THE OMELLA CANDIDATE
Florencio Roselló (1962) has been archbishop of Pamplona since January 2024. A Mercedarian religious, he is from Teruel, like his sponsor, although he does not come from the Catalan-speaking area. However, at the age of 11 he entered the Minor Seminary of the Mercedarios of Reus and moved to Molins de Rei to study the COU. He was ordained a deacon in Barcelona in 1985 and began his pastoral activity at the Mercedarian Home in the city. He then spent a few years in the Valencian Community and returned to the Barcelona Provincial Curia in 2003, where he remained until 2015, when he moved to Castellón. He would have even greater roots in Catalonia than Omella himself, who spent his entire priestly life in the diocese of Zaragoza.
As a Mercedarian, his itinerary has been dedicated, essentially, to assisting prisoners and it could be placed within the most progressive sector of the Spanish episcopate.
THE CANDIDATE OF ARGÜELLO
José Ángel Saiz Meneses (1956) is the current archbishop of Seville since 2021. Previously he was auxiliary of Barcelona and bishop of Terrassa for 17 years. In the Egarense diocese he founded a new seminary and made it the only diocese in Catalonia where there was no vocational crisis and where it was not necessary to group parishes, as occurred in other areas.
His appointment would be an act of reward after the campaign of insidiousness posed to him by the national-ecclesial progressivism when Cardinal Ricard Maria Carles chose him as his auxiliary bishop. On the contrary, he has just turned 70 and his term could be too short.
THE CONSENSUS CANDIDATE
Francesc Conesa Ferrer (1961) is bishop of Solsona (Lleida), where he arrived after the Novell scandal and where he has managed to win the diocese with the complacency of all sectors. A native of Elche and a doctor in Theology, he spent 16 years as vicar general of the diocese of Alicante. He has been a consultant to the Synod, is the greatest expert on synodality in the Spanish episcopate and chairs the Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Episcopal Conference. He has enough experience, the right age and is very centrist.
THE NATIONALIST CANDIDATE
Sergi Gordo (1967) has been bishop of Tortosa since 2023. Although the preferred candidate of nationalism would be Joan Planellas, his age and a controversial management in the archbishopric of Tarragona remove him from all possibilities. For this reason, these sectors would be opting for this prelate from Barcelona, a descendant of Granada and former auxiliary of Omella, who does not enjoy the pedigree of the Tarragona native, but is very well regarded in Catalan sectors and, in particular, maintains a great friendship with the nun Lucía Caram.
THE AUXILIARY CANDIDATES
Javier Vilanova and David Abadías -both born in 1973- are bishops of the complete confidence of Archbishop Omella. However, due to their youth, they would have an excessively long pontificate ahead of them, which would make them unrecommended. Of the two, Vilanova would be the best positioned, both for his pastoral background and for being well known and loved in the youngest and most dynamic sectors of the diocese.
THE BENEDICTINE CANDIDATE
Every time a new bishop of Barcelona has had to be appointed, the name of the abbot of Montserrat has been spread, although in all cases without success. Despite these precedents, Abbot Manel Gasch himself (1970), the previous prior and person in charge of the Millennium events, Bernat Juliol (1978), and Jordi-Agustí Piqué (1963), the current prior of the Abbey of Montecassino, sound like possible candidates.
THE ROMAN CANDIDATE
Jordi Bertomeu (1968) is a priest from Tortosa (Tarragona) and a member of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith, charged by both Pope Francis and Leo XIV with the investigation of sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy. One of the files in which his actions have been most controversial is that corresponding to the investigation in Peru of the Sodalicio para la Vida Cristiana. His possible appointment would be a kick upwards, removing him from such intricate dossiers.
THE FRENCH CANDIDATE
Javier Bustillo (1968) is currently bishop of Ajaccio - on the French island of Corsica - and one of the last cardinals created by Pope Francis. Born in Pamplona, he has developed almost his entire religious and priestly life in France, where he refounded the Franciscan convent of Narbonne. Although he is one of the most prominent figures in the college of cardinals, going to look for a bishop in France would be a major slap in the face not only for the Catalan episcopate, but for all of Spain as a whole.
THE SURPRISE CANDIDATE
As can be seen from the list of candidates reviewed, all have some contraindication: when it is not advanced age, it is youth; when not the lack of experience or the performance of more important functions. There is no clearly dominant candidate. This would allow surprise and the appearance of a cover. It's obvious that there's no reason for me to speak Catalan.
In fact, the real favorite, for now, seems to be uncertainty. None of the candidates manages to clearly prevail and all of them have some problem that makes their choice difficult. As long as Rome does not find the right profile, Omella will continue to lead the archdiocese of Barcelona. And if the wait is prolonged, the Aragonese cardinal will end up more than breaking the record of being the Spanish archbishop who has remained in office the longest after presenting his resignation due to age.
