Spanish bishop wins court case against Catalan bishop who ‘nicked his art’

A SPANISH bishop has won a court case against a Catalan bishop, demanding the return of 111 pieces of religious art.

A court ruled that the Diocese of Lledia in Catalunya must immediately return the artefacts to 43 parishes which lie within Aragon’s Diocese of Barbastro-Monzon. 

Judge Carlos Lobon said: “The assets are property of each of the parishes they come from and must be returned immediately.” 

The 111 pieces of art are currently split between the Diocese of Lleida and the Museum of Lleida. 

The ruling comes after a decade spanning legal battle between the two dioceses, which began in 1998.

It has taken the judges months to sift through 25,000 pages of documents spread over 36 volumes, in order to reach a decision on the case.