Sagrada Família welcomes Most Rev. Octavi Vilà Mayo, new Archbishop of Barcelona - Sagrada Família welcomes Most Rev. Octavi Vilà Mayo, new Archbishop of Barcelona

The Junta Constructora de la Sagrada Família is pleased to congratulate the Most Rev. Octavi Vilà Mayo on his appointment as the new Archbishop of Barcelona. Vilà is taking over from Cardinal Joan Josep Omella i Omella, who had led the archdiocese since 2015. As the head of the Church in Barcelona, he will also be the Ex-officio President of the Junta Constructora del Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, a responsibility historically tied to that position.

Octavi Vilà Mayo (Tarragona, 1961) is a Cistercian monk in the community of Santa Maria de Poblet. He studied Philosophy and Theology, graduating with a degree in Geography and History, before he entered the Monastery of Poblet in 2005 and was appointed abbot there in 2015.

After nearly a decade at the helm of the Poblet monastery, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Girona on 29 February 2024. He began his episcopal ministry in the Girona diocese later that year, on 21 April. His career has been marked by his service to monastic life, theological reflection and commitment to pastoral care in the Catalan Church.