Pope slams world’s indifference to migrants while visiting onetime ‘dock of shame’ in Canary Islands
He heard testimonies from migrants and aid workers and called for safe legal routes as arrivals fell to just over 3,000 in early 2026, officials said.
- Pope Leo XIV visited the Canary Islands, particularly the port of Arguineguín, to highlight the dangers migrants face, commemorate those who died at sea, and call for humane treatment and global cooperation on migration issues.
- The port of Arguineguín, known as the 'dock of shame' in 2020 due to migrant overcrowding, was a focal point where the Pope urged reflection on migration challenges and condemned human traffickers.
- Spain's government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, supports immigration on economic and humanitarian grounds, having legalized many undocumented migrants even as irregular arrivals have sharply decreased.
- Caritas Diocesana de Canarias provides support to vulnerable migrants facing social exclusion and abusive housing, emphasizing the need to protect migrants' dignity amidst insufficient state aid.
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116 Articles
Pope expresses support for migrants and urges them to integrate during Canary Islands visit
During a visit to Spain's Canary Islands, Pope Leo XIV spoke at a migrant reception center, saying 'human dignity has no passport' and urging newcomers to make the 'reciprocal journey' of integration.
In Gran Canaria, Pope Leo XIV meets with migrants in a port, demanding that Europe should not accept that the Mediterranean and the Atlantic become "peaceyards without gravestones".
During his visit to the Canary Islands, Pope Leo demanded safe and legal ways for migration.
Pope Leo bows to migrants' 'dignity' in Gran Canaria
The pope visited the port of Arguineguin, a flashpoint of a migration crisis in the Canary Islands. He argued European leaders cannot claim human dignity while allowing the Mediterranean to become an "unmarked grave."
Pope Leo hits beaches of popular European migrant entry point after criticizing global immigration policies
Pope Leo XIV landed in Spain's Canary Islands, an epicenter for incoming migrants, days after criticizing Europe's immigration policies in a speech to Spain's Parliament.
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