Pope Leo XIV visited the Canary Islands on Thursday to draw attention to the dangerous journeys migrants take trying to reach Europe. During his two-day trip to the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, the Pope met with migrants who have crossed the Atlantic from West Africa seeking better lives in Europe.
The Pope emphasized that migrants should not be treated as statistics or cases. He told the crowd, “You are not mere statistics or files; you are human beings.” He bowed in respect to their inherent dignity and called for a humane and welcoming approach to migration.
In Arguineguín, a southern port that migrants frequently use, Pope Leo stressed the urgent need for legal and safe pathways for migration. He urged Europe to avoid becoming desensitized to its seas turning into unmarked graves and to recognize that countless people risk their lives searching for survival.
The Pope criticized Europe’s inaction on migration, saying it is not enough to manage arrivals, distribute statistics, reinforce borders, or lament deaths after they occur. He warned that history would condemn leaders who allow the suffering of migrants to become commonplace along coasts.
Pope Leo said that human dignity knows no borders and does not diminish when crossing into another country. He called for strengthened international efforts to prevent human smuggling, creation of safe legal routes for migrants, and development in countries of origin so more people can choose to stay home.
The first-ever pope from the United States is visiting the Canary Islands as part of a weeklong trip to Spain. He plans to meet with around 1,000 migrants on Friday and will spend U.S. Independence Day on July 4 on the island of Lampedusa in Sicily, another main entry point for migrants from North Africa.
The Pope previously coined the phrase “globalization of indifference” to describe how the world treats migrants. He told the Spanish Parliament earlier this week that lack of support for migrants undermines the ethical foundations of the international order.
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