What was said “in the Proclamation marking the celebrations of this year’s Carnival 2018” has caused “great pain” in Catholics and in the inhabitants of Santiago and other regions of Spain. “It is unacceptable that the figure of the Apostle who represents the city across the world, and after whom the city is named, is so heavily mocked”. The Diocese of Santiago wrote this in a statement in reference to the so-called “pregón”, the satirical speech in the context of the Carnival of Compostela that Carlos Santiago made last Saturday, with offensive and disrespectful remarks about Our Lady of the Pillar and Saint James. These two figures, the press release of the diocese reads, are “linked to the memory and to the life of this city and of all the Ways that lead to the tomb of the Apostle. Without them, we would not be what we are in many areas of society, culture and spirituality”. On this occasion, therefore, the Church of Compostela renews its vocation to “be a space of encounter, dialogue and hospitality with all those who wish to build a more just and fraternal world”. From Archbishop Julián Barrio and the Chapter of the Cathedral also comes an invitation to make “an act of reparation” to James the Apostle and Our Lady of the Pillar, with a prayer vigil that will be held in the Cathedral on Saturday, 17 February, at 5.30pm.