Pope Leo tells traffickers to repent over Canary Islands migrant deaths
On a visit to the Canary Islands, Pope Leo XIV condemned smugglers exploiting Africans who risk the Atlantic crossing to Europe.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Pope Leo XIV warned human traffickers in Spain’s Canary Islands that they would answer to divine justice for exploiting Africans trying to reach Europe, AP and Reuters reported. His remarks put migration at the center of the final stop of his weeklong visit to Spain.
Speaking on Friday, his second day in the archipelago, Leo directed his message at people who, in his words, “take advantage of people’s desperation” and organize “death routes.” He told them: “Stop. Repent.”
“For every life lost, every family deceived … you will have to appear before divine justice,” the pope said, according to AP and Reuters. He added: “Repent while there is still time,” invoking the Catholic teaching that people who commit evil can confess and make amends.
The Canary Islands, a Spanish territory off Africa’s western coast, have become a major entry point to Europe for migrants. AP and Reuters reported that many people attempt the Atlantic route in small, makeshift and crowded boats.
Migration focus during Spain visit
Leo, the first pope from the United States, has used his Spain trip to emphasize migrants’ dignity and rights, AP and Reuters reported. He has urged political leaders to receive migrants and help them become part of society.
Earlier in the trip, the pope said history would judge leaders who permit people escaping war or poverty to endure suffering, according to AP and Reuters. His visit to the Canary Islands was the last of three stops on the tour.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed Leo on his arrival in Madrid at the start of the trip, according to a Vatican Media handout image carried by AFP. The pope’s itinerary later took him to the Canary Islands, where migration has become an urgent political and humanitarian issue.
Deaths on the Atlantic route
The archipelago lies more than 1,000km, or 620 miles, from mainland Spain. Official data cited by AP and Reuters show arrivals there rose to 46,843 in 2024, compared with fewer than 1,000 in 2015.
The NGO Caminando Fronteras said more than 3,000 people died last year while trying to reach the islands, according to AP and Reuters. The group’s figure points to the danger of a sea route used by people fleeing hardship and seeking entry to Europe.
Leo also visited an interim housing center in Tenerife, the largest island in the Canaries, to hear from migrants directly, AP and Reuters reported. The facility has received about 70,000 people since it opened in 2021.
One woman at the center, Bousso Diouf, told the pope that migrants were not asking for special privileges. She said they wanted “respect, humanity and the opportunity to live with dignity,” according to AP and Reuters.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.