The Archbishop of the diocese of Valencia, Enrique Benavent, has published his pastoral letters in the Hallelujah and Paraula, two references of the Valencian faithful that are published weekly, in Spanish and Valencian. Never before had an archbishop of Valencia resorted to bilingualism in these publications. Sources from the archbishopric have indicated that since he took possession of it, Benavent had shown his willingness to use both languages and, in addition, promote Valencian.
Born in Quatretonda (1959), a Valencian-speaking area, and ex-Bishop of Tortosa, Enrique Benavent, according to these sources, wrote the texts himself in Spanish and Valencian. In the publication Aleluya, he offers an article with the title "Generar Esperanza"; and in Word he delivers another text titled in Valencian "Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ". In both cases use a normative Valencian.
In a recent interview with La Vanguardia, Enrique Benavent expressed his desire to be able to produce a missal in Valencian. "It must be clear that if some parents want their child to be baptized in Valencian and ask the priest for it, that desire is totally legitimate, and that legitimate desire must be answered. What should not happen is that if those parents they ask for it, the priest tells them no," he said in that interview.
He added that "it is not good for priests to go to the Internet to find materials in Valencian to use in the sacraments, when it would be good if there were some clear, dignified, well-done texts to use in the exercise of the priesthood. In Tortosa there never was no conflict, there were masses in Catalan and Spanish".
"I believe, therefore, that the missal in Valencian is an objective that must be considered, it is also a request that comes from the Church itself; we must find the way to make it come true. I will use Valencian and Spanish, and I believe that we must seek, without conflicts, a solution" he concluded.
