During a poignant visit to the Canary Islands, Pope Leo XVI delivered a powerful speech on migration, urging world leaders to treat migrants more humanely and warning against indifference to the deaths of those risking their lives to reach Europe.
Visit to the 'Dock of Shame'
The event took place at the dock of Arguineguín in Gran Canaria, a site that gained notoriety in 2020 when media exposed the dire conditions faced by migrants left to sleep on the rat-infested pier. Known as the 'dock of shame,' it became a symbol of the migration crisis along the Atlantic route.
Pope's Strong Words
Standing near a memorial for migrants who perished in the Atlantic, Pope Leo condemned the world's indifference. 'Even today, monsters lurk in these seas: mafias that traffic in despair, traffickers who enslave women and children, and those whose indifference allows the poor to be swallowed up by exploitation or oblivion,' he said.
The pope emphasized that it goes against Christian values to 'regard as foreign the cry of those who shout from the night' and warned that history would condemn those who ignore the suffering. 'May history not accuse us of turning the pain of those who suffer into a common sight along our shores,' he added.
Atlantic Route Crisis
Last year, an estimated 1,906 people died attempting to cross into Europe via the dangerous Atlantic route. After peaking at over 46,000 arrivals in 2024, numbers have dropped sharply, with rights groups attributing this to EU cooperation with African countries that emphasizes deterrence while risking human rights abuses.
Call for Action
Pope Leo called for 'legal and safe pathways' for immigration, international cooperation to fight human trafficking, and funding for rescue operations at sea. 'Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border,' he stated.
He also singled out Europe, urging people to see the tragedy as a 'call to conscience.' 'Europe cannot claim to uphold human dignity while growing accustomed to the Mediterranean and Atlantic becoming graveyards without headstones,' he said.
Human Stories
The event featured testimonies from first responders, humanitarian workers, and migrants, including a Nigerian woman who was trafficked into prostitution and had her baby taken. Pope Leo told her she was a blessing from God and deserved happiness.
In a symbolic gesture, the pope cast a wreath of flowers into the sea and observed a moment of silence for those who lost their lives. This echoed a similar act by his predecessor, Pope Francis, in Lampedusa in 2013.
'Dear migrants,' Pope Leo concluded, 'you are not just numbers or files. You are people who have left behind families and homes. You have dreams that no one has the right to despise.'
