The Lehendakari (President of the Basque Government) Imanol Pradales held a meeting in the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV which, beyond the protocolary courtesy, had a clear symbolic weight surrounding peace, the memory of Gernika and minority languagesThe audience was held as part of one of the new pontiff's first institutional engagements, which has placed the Basque delegation in a prominent position within the Holy See's diplomatic agenda.
For the occasion, the Basque Government prepared a series of gifts that aimed to go far beyond the usual diplomatic gesture. Among them, one stood out. a Basque reinterpretation of Guernica, a seminal essay on Picasso's work, and a poem written in Basque and translated into QuechuaThe three gifts link the historical experience of Gernika with the current commitment to peace and the protection of minority cultures.
A meeting laden with symbolism amidst escalating war
Pradales' presence at the general audience presided over by Leo XIV has been interpreted in political and cultural terms, within an international context marked by armed conflicts and a growing concern about the deterioration of dialogue between blocsThe pontiff has been characterized since the beginning of his term by his insistence on pacifist messages and constant calls for an end to violence.
In this context, the Lehendakari (President of the Basque Government) wanted to take advantage of the Vatican's invitation to emphasize the role of the Basque Country as a territory that has experienced war, exile, and violence firsthandand which today reclaims the memory of those events as a starting point for coexistence. The reference to Gernika, both through Picasso and contemporary Basque art, has been the guiding thread of the visit.
During the day, Pradales first participated in the general audience in St. Peter's Square, where he briefly greeted the Pope, and later held a private meeting with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Pietro Parolin. According to sources from the Basque Government, the meeting served to address issues related to peace, social justice and the protection of cultural and linguistic diversity.
The fact that the meeting took place just days after the election of Leo XIV reinforces the idea that the Vatican wants to maintain Open bridges with European institutions and with regions that contribute their own experiences in conflict resolutionFor the Lehendakari (President of the Basque Government), being among the first regional leaders officially received in Rome also represents a gesture of recognition of the Basque Country's progress in terms of coexistence.
A Basque Guernica to remember the bombing of Gernika and denounce the barbarity
One of the gifts that has attracted the most attention has been the presentation to the Pope of a reproduction of the reinterpretation of Guernica carried out in 1999 by the Basque artist José Luis ZumetaThis work revisits Picasso's painting from a contemporary sensibility, maintaining the reference to the bombing of Gernika but incorporating a plastic language characteristic of Basque art of the late 20th century.
Zumeta's painting, with its strong expressive charge, introduces Burning hamlets, mutilated figures, and other universal symbols associated with barbarity and civilian suffering in times of warThe intense use of color, far from Picasso's iconic black and white, underlines the desolation of the scene from another angle, relying on a free and gestural composition that evokes the emotional impact of the bombing.
The Basque Government has emphasized that this reinterpretation of Guernica is presented as a way to connect the memory of Gernika with current wars, recalling that the Picasso's work is not just an episode from the past, but a current emblem against violence and destructionBy placing this piece in the hands of the Pope, the Basque delegation sends a message intended to reinforce the pacifist discourse of Leo XIV.
This Basque Guernica, with its own aesthetic and symbolic reinterpretation, shows how culture continues to rework the trauma of the bombing and transforms it into a A shared story that transcends borders, ideologies, and generationsThe gesture, in a European key, also recalls the genesis of Picasso's original, conceived for the Republic pavilion at the 1937 Paris Universal Exposition as a denunciation of the attacks on the civilian population.
Juan Larrea's book: key to understanding Picasso's Guernica
Along with Zumeta's work, Pradales presented the Pope with the book "Guernica, Pablo Picasso" by the poet and essayist from Bilbao, Juan LarreaThis text is considered fundamental for interpreting the intention and scope of the famous mural. The volume examines the painting as an artistic response to the bombing of the town and as an international symbol against violence.
The Basque government emphasizes Larrea's role in the creation of the original Guernica, since the author He maintained a close relationship with Picasso during the preparation of the commission for the Republic pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exposition.This connection allowed him to learn firsthand about the creative process and motivations of the Malaga-born painter, making his essay an essential reference.
By placing this book in the hands of Leo XIV, the Basque delegation intends to reinforce the reading of Guernica as a a clear denunciation of the massacre suffered by Gernika and a plea against all warsIn this way, revisionist interpretations that have tried to reduce the political content of the work or have even questioned its connection with the bombing of the Biscayan town are also confronted.
From a European perspective, the choice of this title underscores the importance of the historical memory as a tool to build a culture of peaceGuernica has become a globally recognized image and memory, and Larrea's book helps to define its meaning within a framework that links art, history, and social awareness—something very much present in the current concerns of the European Union.
A poem in Basque and Quechua to vindicate minority languages
The third gift presented to the Pope was a poetic composition by Jon Sarasua, Basque thinker and writer, originally written in Basque and also translated into QuechuaWith this gesture, the Basque Government wanted to explicitly recognize the interest shown by Leo XIV towards indigenous languages during his time as a missionary in Peru.
The pontiff learned Quechua to be able to communicate with the Andean communities, something that has been recorded as a a practical example of respect for minority cultures and their languagesGiving him a bilingual text in Basque and Quechua directly links to that personal journey, and at the same time creates a symbolic bridge between a minority European language and an indigenous language of Latin America.
The poem, which the Basque Government defines as a reflection on Basque understood as "community and task", presents the language as a a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation, despite the difficulties and periods of marginalizationThe piece suggests that the Basque language is both a received heritage and a shared project, something living that requires collective effort to maintain.
In the Spanish translation, the text evokes images such as “from the childhood of humanity comes to us the aroma, the flour that was ground from generation to generation,” and reclaims Basque as longing, joy and pain of so many marginalized cultures, a dream offered and a will to beautify a landThe composition concludes with an idea of openness: the particular that is projected towards everyone, in an invitation to understand diversity as richness.
The choice of Quechua as a companion language is not accidental: it is presented as a a gesture of brotherhood towards a friendly language, sharing the condition of minority language and as an identity symbol for their communityIn the European context, this gift reinforces the idea that defending Basque is part of a global struggle to protect languages at risk of decline.
The role of Basque as a minority language in Europe
The documentation sent from the Basque Executive insists on describing the Basque as a minority language of Europe, spoken on both sides of the Pyrenees by a small but very committed community to its preservationThis emphasis connects with European debates on the protection of regional and minority languages, included in various charters and recommendations of the Council of Europe.
The Basque Government is using this visit to remind everyone that the Basque language has survived stages of prohibition, persecution, and strong pressure from majority languagesAnd its survival is largely due to the commitment of the communities that have kept it alive in their homes, schools, and cultural spaces. Presenting it in Rome, before the Pope, as a symbol of linguistic resistance, has clear political significance.
At the same time, it is emphasized that the defense of Basque goes hand in hand with a broader respect for the Cultural and linguistic diversity as the basis for a fairer worldThe idea being projected is that each language contributes a way of looking at and naming reality, and that linguistic impoverishment also entails an impoverishment of collective visions, narratives, and solutions.
The connection with Quechua and other non-European indigenous languages brings the focus back to the shared responsibility of international institutions, including religious ones, to prevent minority languages from being reduced to mere folkloric symbols with no real presence in public lifeThe biography of Leo XIV himself, with his learning of Quechua in Peru, lends credibility to this narrative.
Thus, Sarasua's poem and its presentation at the Vatican are also read as an appeal to Strengthening public policies for language protection in Europe and Latin Americawhere widely used official languages coexist with networks of local languages that are demanding space and recognition.
Pradales' visit to the Vatican, together with the Basque Guernica, Larrea's essay, and the poem in Basque and Quechua, ultimately forms a common narrative that links memory of the war, Basque culture and defense of minority languages under the umbrella of Leo XIV's pacifist messageAt a time of international tension, the gesture is halfway between institutional diplomacy and cultural assertion, with one eye on Europe and the other on those communities around the world that are fighting to preserve their own voice.
