Torreciudad: The Diocese of Barbastro considers the agreements with Opus Dei regarding the statue to be invalid 

The Diocese of Barbastro Monzón has issued a statement in response to the latest actions taken by both sides regarding this conflict. Last August, the Bishop of Barbastro accused Opus Dei of a “retention” of the image of the Virgin, the The prelature responded with some details regarding the agreements with the diocese.

Now, one day before the visit to Torreciudad by Bishop Arellano—the commissioner appointed by the Holy See to handle this matter and the highest authority on all issues concerning Torreciudad—the diocese has issued a statement that, far from fostering reconciliation, only exacerbates this painful situation. 

The Agreements of 1962 and 1966

The statement issued by the diocese emphasizes that “in the public deed of incorporation of the long-term lease, granted on September 24, 1962 (…) ‘the obligation ’not to remove the image from the chapel” was expressly established among the obligations assumed,” and he points to the confirmation of this fact in the minutes of the Cathedral Chapter. 

This was, in fact, the first contract between the diocese and the prelature; however, the latter, in its various statements, has referred to a a subsequent agreement, signed in 1966, which can be consulted online. It is a notarized document attesting to an agreement between the then-diocesan bishop, Monsignor Jaime Flores, and Florencio Sánchez Bella, chaplain of Opus Dei at that time, which states, as the second point of the agreement—which expands upon the 1962 leasehold census—that “The Torreciudad Board of Trustees is responsible for the construction and financing of the new sanctuary, on the express condition that the image of Our Lady of Torreciudad be worshipped and venerated there, while also committing to build it on land near the current chapel.”. 

The reason for this move was based on the “inability of the current chapel to accommodate the pilgrims who—especially since the Board of Trustees helped open the road to Torreciudad—have been coming in ever-increasing numbers to pray before the venerated image.”. 

Likewise, Opus Dei in Spain pledged “that, in the new shrine, the image of Our Lady of Torreciudad would be safeguarded with all necessary precautions and would be venerated there with dignity and decorum.”. 

However, this point is not acceptable to the diocese, which states in this press release that “the construction of a large church next to the original chapel, while it may help spread Marian devotion, cannot justify the relocation—without proper authorization—of an image of the Virgin that belongs to the people of Barbastro-Monzón.” 

A document “that is not on file” with the diocese

The Existence and Validity of the Agreement documented on September 8, 1966 This, however, is disputed by the Diocese of Barbastro, which asserts that this document “has not been provided to this Diocese, despite repeated requests,” nor “is there any authorization in the minutes of the Cathedral Chapter or in the documentation preserved in the diocesan archives to remove the image from the chapel and permanently transfer it to the new church, nor is there any agreement setting forth a permanent transfer of its ownership or use.”. 

Ownership is not in question

Indeed, ownership of the image or the chapel has not been called into question at any point during this process; rather, it is the validity of the transfer of the right of use of the chapel (and, therefore, the responsibility for its maintenance) and “the rights to display and preserve the image””as set forth in items 4 and 5 of the long-term lease signed by both parties in 1962.

In this new statement, the diocese once again calls into question the legality of these agreements and demands that the sculpture be returned to its original chapel and that the diocese be the one to “authorize its temporary transfer to the church in Torreciudad and to other locations when pastoral reasons so warrant, with proper coordination and the necessary safeguards.” This amounts to declaring the original agreement—under which the display and preservation of the image were entrusted to Opus Dei—null and void. 

Once again, and in a tone very similar to the statement released by the Bishop of Barbastro-Monzón on August 31, 2026, the diocese speaks of “a right that has been taken away”: “This diocese—small and humble in means—does not ask for any privilege or new right, nor can it accept a fait accompli regarding something so dear to it that has belonged to it for more than a thousand years until it was taken away fifty years ago.” Furthermore, it refers to an alleged inability of the faithful in the area to visit the Virgin in the new church when it implies that “the children of Barbastro-Monzón do not want their Mother as a visitor; they want her at home.”. 

The commissioner will be in Torreciudad tomorrow

Opus Dei has declined to respond to this new statement, which comes 24 hours before one of the most significant events on the Pyrenean shrine’s calendar: Family Day, which this year will be presided over by the plenipotentiary commissioner for Torreciudad, Bishop Arellano Cedillo. 

The presence of this expert in canon law is no small matter, given the current situation in Torreciudad. The dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota was appointed in 2024 by Pope Francis as plenipotentiary commissioner for Torreciudad, a role that granted the canonist full powers and the final say in all matters concerning the sanctuary. 

Arellano has reviewed and studied both positions and the documentation submitted by the two parties in this unfortunate situation, which has now lasted three years.