The Royal Academy of Valencian Culture, RAVC, an entity that denies the unity of Catalan and Valencian and does not recognize the linguistic authority of the Valencian Academy of Language, AVL, has issued a statement harshly criticizing the Archbishop of Valencia , Enrique Benavent, for "Catalanizing" the gospels. They reproach him for his "forgetting authentic Valencian" in the Gospels and the Pastoral Letter sent by his diocese and demand that the Valencian church rectify its new linguistic policy.
Specifically, academics from the RACV accuse Benavent of “skipping his commitment to obtain the consensus of the bishops of the Archdiocese, for having sent a Catalanized version of the Gospels to be read at masses, as well as a Pastoral Letter of the same sign, contrary to what was considered and despite recognizing the sensitivity that exists in the Valencian Community on the linguistic issue".
As they explain, the disagreement dates back to last March, when a representation of the RACV, with the Dean, José Luis Manglano at the head, attended the audience of the new archbishop of the city to "offer their respects and make themselves available to the "new person in charge of the Valencian Archdiocese". In that audience, which took place in a climate of kindness and respect, the RACV delegation conveyed the need for the church to use "true Valencian."
In fact, they gave Benavent a copy of the catechism and another of the Holy Mass, written in the Valencian of the Puig Standards defended by this and other institutions such as 'Lo Rat Penat'. Liturgical documents that had received, academics say, the nihil obstat of both the Episcopal Conference and the Vatican, and that had been used on certain occasions by his predecessor, Cardinal Cañizares.
The archbishop conveyed to the RACV delegation his knowledge of the sensitivity in Valencian society on this issue and stated, according to the RACV, that the final decision "did not correspond to him but to the majority of the Bishops of the Archdiocese and that "If there was no consensus decision, I would maintain the liturgy in Spanish."
But, according to the members of the RACV who led this visit, the archbishop “not only did not respect our catechism, but he sent to all his dioceses a Catalanized version of the Gospels and even the Pastoral Letter in that language. As an example of this “Catalanization,” the RACV recalls that “they have converted the Mare dels Desamparats into the Catalan Mare dels Desemparats, replacing the A of the Valencian Ampar with the E of the Catalan Empar.”
Faced with this situation, the RACV expresses its rejection of "the linguistic policies carried out by the Archbishop's Palace", they encourage the new archbishop to redirect this situation, and remember that, until now, with Cardinal Cañizares, the Valencian Church "has lived in "peace and tranquility" and has been able to express itself in the two languages recognized by the Statute: Spanish and Valencian.
