The latter had labelled Muslim believers as "Moritos" (Moors).
"That was not correct," said Planellas in an interview with the Spanish daily newspaper "El País" (Sunday). "He will know what he has to say. But he is deviating from the majority opinion of the bishops' conference."
Archbishop Sanz Montes has repeatedly caused controversy in the past with his ultra-conservative statements.
In March 2025, for example, the Archbishop of Oviedo praised the return to office of US President Donald Trump, as his return would serve to "put the woke culture in its place" and restore "moral order".
In the interview, Planellas spoke out in favour of an open society. "Using the issue of migration for your own purposes is a trap," he said.
The right-wing parties Vox and Aliança Catalana had previously banned Muslim celebrations in the Spanish city of Jumilla in the province of Murcia.
In response, the archbishop emphasised: "A xenophobe cannot be a true Christian."
However, Planellas does not see any danger of Christianity splitting over the migration issue.
"It is the pure gospel: he who has ears to hear, let him hear," said the Archbishop of Tarragona. "But there can be a certain polarisation of people who call themselves Christians and are against immigrants."
Don't retreat into the sacristy
It is important to find spaces in which all people can live together.
The Archbishop called on politicians to reduce polarisation and regain the ability to engage in dialogue and listen.
On the question of whether the Church should get involved in political issues, Planellas said: "It is good that ordinary Christians get involved in politics, but the Church as an institution must not be partisan. That doesn't mean we have to retreat to the sacristy."
In the interview, Planellas also commented on other church policy issues.
He expects Pope Leo XIV to continue the course set by his predecessor Francis.
"He has spoken very clearly on issues such as migration and has a lot of experience with poor and precarious living conditions. I am very hopeful."
On the question of a possible ordination of women, he explained that the World Synod had left this topic open.
"It depends on the dialogue at the level of the universal church, because there are different sensitivities," said Planellas: "We need to explore this further and make more progress."
Regarding the reappraisal of abuse in the Catholic Church, he explained that it is difficult to "heal these wounds". This requires a lot of time.