A protracted conflict between Bishop Ángel Pérez Pueyo and Opus Dei over control of the Torreciudad shrine has escalated, with the bishop threatening to resign if the Vatican does not rule in his favor.
Newsroom (15/09/2025, Gaudium Press ) A protracted conflict between Bishop Ángel Pérez Pueyo of the Barbastro-Monzón Diocese and the Opus Dei personal prelature over control of the Torreciudad shrine in northern Spain has escalated, with the bishop threatening to resign if the Vatican does not rule in his favor. The dispute, centered on the appointment of the shrine’s rector and the ownership of a revered image of Our Lady of Torreciudad, has reached a critical juncture as Vatican-appointed mediator Archbishop Alejandro Arellano is reportedly poised to side with Opus Dei.
In a Sept. 8, 2025, homily delivered at Barbastro Cathedral, Bishop Pérez Pueyo invoked the biblical figure of Eleazar, declaring that he would not “defile and disgrace my old age” by accepting a resolution that contradicts his pastoral convictions. “If I saw myself forced to accept what I can’t accept, as a pastor I’d repeat the same words of elder Eleazar… that I can’t do it without setting a bad example to our faithful,” he said, signaling his readiness to step down if the Vatican’s decision favors Opus Dei.
The Torreciudad shrine, a major pilgrimage site drawing 200,000 visitors annually, has been under Opus Dei’s administration since 1975, when a new complex was built around a medieval hermitage dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels. The shrine’s origins date to 1084, but its modern prominence stems from a 1962 agreement between Opus Dei’s founder, Saint Josemaría Escrivá, and then-Bishop Jaime Flores. The agreement entrusted the site and its Marian icon to a civil foundation linked to Opus Dei, with the prelature responsible for spiritual care and the site’s upkeep.
Tensions arose in 2020 when negotiations began to formalize Torreciudad’s status as a diocesan shrine, a designation that would place it under the bishop’s canonical authority while allowing Opus Dei to maintain spiritual oversight. Talks faltered over key issues: the bishop’s right to appoint the shrine’s rector, the degree of diocesan control over the site, and financial contributions to the diocese. The dispute intensified in 2023 when Bishop Pérez Pueyo unilaterally appointed a rector, bypassing Opus Dei’s traditional role in selecting candidates since the shrine’s modern establishment.
At the heart of the conflict is the image of Our Lady of Torreciudad, a centuries-old icon moved from a roadside chapel to the new shrine in 1975 by mutual agreement between the diocese and Opus Dei. Bishop Pérez Pueyo has recently framed this relocation as a grave injustice, asserting in his homily that the icon “should have never left” its original chapel, where it was venerated for a millennium. “For five years we’ve been asking, almost supplicating, that the dignity of our people is respected,” he said, emphasizing his commitment to returning the image to its historical home.
The bishop has claimed support from Pope Francis, citing private correspondence and conversations. In his homily, he referenced an Oct. 13, 2024, letter in which the pope allegedly warned him against “mafia schemes” in the dispute, and a 2023 handwritten note urging him not to “yield.” He also recounted a Sept. 18, 2024, public audience in Saint Peter’s Square where Francis reportedly asked, “Ángel, did they bring Our Lady down [to the chapel]?” The bishop has not disclosed the full contents of these communications.
However, recent developments suggest the Vatican may not align with Pérez Pueyo’s position. Spanish newspaper El País reported on Sept. 8, 2025, that Archbishop Arellano, dean of the Roman Rota and the Vatican’s extraordinary commissioner appointed in October 2024, is expected to rule in favor of Opus Dei. The report follows claims that the bishop lost Vatican support after Pope Francis’ death.
In June 2025, Spanish media reported a tentative agreement in which Torreciudad would become a diocesan shrine under Opus Dei’s control, with the bishop appointing a rector from a shortlist provided by the prelature. The deal also proposed processing the Marian image to its original chapel twice yearly. However, Bishop Pérez Pueyo reportedly refused to sign the agreement. On July 1, he proposed an alternative: designating Torreciudad an international shrine under Vatican control, with Opus Dei retaining operational authority but returning the Marian image and a historic baptismal font, currently housed at Opus Dei’s Rome headquarters.
The font, a new point of contention, was gifted to Saint Josemaría Escrivá in 1959 by the Bishop of Barbastro after Escrivá’s intervention prevented the diocese’s dissolution following the Spanish Civil War, during which 92% of its clergy perished. Severely damaged during the war, the font was restored and has remained in Rome since. Its inclusion in the bishop’s demands has puzzled observers, as it was never part of Torreciudad’s history.
Financial disputes have also fueled the conflict. Opus Dei’s website states that entrance fees cover only 30% of the shrine’s 1.3 million euro annual operating costs, with the remainder raised through fundraising. The prelature claims the diocese demanded an annual contribution of approximately 600,000 euros, which Opus Dei deemed excessive. In his July statement, Bishop Pérez Pueyo abandoned his financial demands, focusing instead on the return of the icon and font.
The standoff has drawn national attention, highlighting tensions between local diocesan authority and Opus Dei’s global influence. As pilgrims continue to flock to Torreciudad, the outcome of Archbishop Arellano’s ruling will determine whether the shrine remains under Opus Dei’s stewardship or sees significant changes to its governance and sacred heritage.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from the Pillar
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