Police remove 600 choristers from Sagrada Família after discovering hidden estelades and plans to sing Els Segadors during papal mass

The discovery

Around 600 choristers were set to perform at the Sagrada Família on Wednesday evening during a mass officiated by Pope Leo XIV to bless the Tower of Jesus, marking the centenary of Antoni Gaudí's death. Before the performance concluded, police discovered that some members of the choir had hidden estelades (Catalan pro-independence flags) printed on A3 paper inside their sheet music, along with a set of written instructions.

“Inside this sheet music there is an estelada, horizontally, A3 size. Please keep it discreetly with the other scores until the end of the mass. If you want, when the Virolai begins, take it out and hold it horizontally, behind the scores.”

The instructions, written in Catalan, also encouraged choristers to sing Els Segadors, the official Catalan anthem, after the Virolai, and to shout "in-inde-independència" during the final exit. The text stated that no political party or organization was behind the action.

The removal

National Police officers, responsible for security inside the basilica, detected the flags and instructions. According to choristers who spoke to El País, plainclothes officers surrounded the choir during the performance, acting in what they described as a "controlling and aggressive manner." Before the Virolai finished, police made the choristers descend and escorted them out through a side exit onto Carrer de Mallorca.

“We saw from the street that the show was starting without us. Because three or four were carrying estelades, we were all punished.”

Once outside, the choristers protested, shouting "Qué vergüenza!" (What a shame!) and singing Els Segadors and El Cant de la Senyera. Videos of the expulsion circulated widely on social media. The musical portion of the ceremony was replaced with a recording, so attendees inside the basilica were unaware of the disruption.

Official response

Government delegate in Catalonia Carlos Prieto stated that the choristers were "invited to leave" and accompanied to designated exits by National Police, private security, and Mossos d'Esquadra. He emphasized that no one was confined and that the event's protocol, agreed upon with the Vatican, did not permit any ideological or identity-based elements.

“We must ensure the normal development of the event because it was agreed with the Vatican. It does not contemplate any ideological or identity-based element of any kind.”

Prieto added that there was no significant moment of tension, and if any occurred, it was not widespread. Mossos d'Esquadra confirmed that their role was limited to accompanying the choristers once they were on public streets, as National Police held jurisdiction inside the temple perimeter.

Political fallout

Catalan pro-independence parties reacted sharply on Thursday. Former Catalan president and Junts leader Carles Puigdemont called the expulsion a "shameful act of repression against the singers and citizens carrying estelades." ERC secretary general Elisenda Alamany said she would demand explanations from Barcelona's municipal government, while CUP deputy Xavier Pellicer described the incident as a "witch hunt" against the independence movement.

The CUP registered a series of parliamentary questions asking whether the order came from Catalan interior minister Núria Parlon and why people with Spanish or other national flags were allowed access while estelades were blocked. The party also demanded to know who ordered the expulsion of the 600 choristers.

Broader context

The incident was the culmination of a week-long effort by independence supporters to display estelades during the Pope's visit. Earlier on Wednesday, singer Lluís Llach and ANC members attempted to approach the papal motorcade with estelades but were blocked by Mossos. Sources told El Confidencial that this was likely a decoy, with the choir protest intended as the main televised action. The Sagrada Família stated that Els Segadors was not part of the official program and that political flags are not permitted inside the Catholic temple during religious celebrations.