The Nunciatura Apostólica notified the CEE of the decision, announced at noon on Wednesday 11 November 2026. Pope Leo XIV selected Vilà Mayo, then bishop of Girona, to succeed Cardinal Joan Josep Omella as archbishop of Barcelona. The Spanish Episcopal Conference and the Diocese of Girona also issued statements. Vilà moves to Barcelona after serving as bishop of Girona since 2024.
Pope Francisco made that appointment on 29 February 2024, after the Girona diocese had been vacant for about two years following the death of Bishop Francesc Pardo. Vilà was ordained bishop on 21 April that year at Girona Cathedral and serves on the Spanish Episcopal Conference’s Commission for Consecrated Life. His transfer comes less than three years into his tenure in Girona, leaving the diocese awaiting a successor.
Before becoming a bishop, Vilà spent two decades in the Cistercian community at Poblet. He entered the monastery in July 2005, made his solemn profession in 2010 and was elected abbot in December 2015, serving in that role for almost nine years. As abbot, he chaired the Cistercian Congregation of the Crown of Aragon and the board of the Poblet archive.
Vilà was born in Tarragona on 11 December 1961. He studied Geography and History at the Universitat de Barcelona, then Philosophy and Theology at the Faculty of Theology of Catalonia. Before entering the episcopate, he also worked for more than two decades with the Tarragona newspaper archive and held roles connected to the Bibliographic Archive of Santes Creus. He was ordained a priest on 1 May 2015.
Cardinal Juan José Omella Omella has led the Barcelona archdiocese since 2015. His appointment was announced on 6 November that year, and he took possession of the see on 26 December. He submitted his resignation in April 2021 after reaching the canonical retirement age. Omella chaired the CEE from March 2020 to March 2024 and is a member of its Permanent Commission and the Council of Cardinals.
Barcelona is one of Spain’s principal metropolitan sees, with responsibilities for pastoral work and social affairs alongside its institutional role. El País reported that the Generalitat regarded Vilà favorably, citing his temperament and knowledge of the country. Coverage of the transition has also focused on the archdiocese’s institutional and property challenges, as well as its pastoral work.
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