The booklet of the proclamation is attached in PDF format
The popular priest delivered a proclamation highlighting the work of all those who make the Rei en Jaume festivities possible
The traditional commemorative event marking the 797th anniversary of the landing officially launched the Rei en Jaume festivities this Thursday. The event was held at the Landing Cross in Santa Ponça before a large audience. It included a speech by the mayor of Calvià, Juan Antonio Amengual, the proclamation by Carlos Fuentes, and a floral offering in which around thirty groups, organizations, and associations participated. The mayor was accompanied by members of the municipal government team, the president of the Balearic Islands government, Marga Prohens, the president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, the government delegate, Alfonso Rodríguez, as well as political, civil, and military authorities.
Amengual addressed Fuentes: "You know I greatly enjoy your homilies, but what fills me most is hearing the heartfelt applause of all the parishioners when you finish them. You are, without a doubt, an enthusiastic 21st-century priest who reaches the souls of the people of Calvià, filling them with hope and gladdening their hearts."
Carlos Fuentes focused his opening address on the unifying value of the festivities and on recognizing those who make them possible, while also emphasizing the historical importance of the event being commemorated: "Every summer, Santa Ponça and Calvià once again turn their gaze toward the sea." That same sea that, almost eight centuries ago, witnessed the arrival of King Jaume I and those who began a new era in the history of Mallorca. That event is part of our collective memory and reminds us that people who know and value their history are also capable of building a future with firm roots and hope.”
He affirmed that “festivals have enormous value because they remind us that a community is not built solely with buildings or roads. A community is built with people […] Shared joy builds community.”
Carlos Fuentes Gómez—Santa Cruz de Mudela, Ciudad Real, 1960—is a Franciscan friar, priest, and communicator. A Franciscan since the age of 19, he was ordained a priest in 2014. Among his many roles, he has been responsible for various parishes in Catalonia. His experience has led him to assume the rectorship of the villages of Calvià Vila, Santa Ponça, Peguera, and Es Capdellà two years ago, a role he combines with his vocation of service to the community. In June 2025, he was appointed Episcopal Delegate for Media of the Diocese of Mallorca. He first appeared on television in 1983 on the TVE programme "Buenas noches" hosted by Mercedes Milà. Since then, he has enjoyed a long and successful career in communications, alongside his religious work. He currently contributes to the Balearic Islands Public Radio and Television Corporation (IB3).
