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, a key migration entry point, urging countries to protect migrants' rights and condemning indifference, especially among Christians.
- In 2020, the port of Arguineguín was nicknamed the 'dock of shame' due to overcrowded and poor conditions for migrants, making it a focal point during the Pope's visit to honor migrant dignity.
- Migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands peaked at nearly 47,000 in 2024 but fell sharply by early 2026 following agreements between the EU, Spain, and West African countries.
- The Pope publicly appealed for securing economic conditions in migrants' home countries and called upon Europe to uphold human dignity instead of allowing the Mediterranean and Atlantic to become 'unmarked graves'.
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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 Canary Islands, Pope Leo warns of indifference against 'monsters' preying on migrants
Pope Leo XIV places a floral arrangement for migrants lost at sea at the dock of the Port of Arguineguin in Gran Canaria, Spain, June 11, 2026. (OSV News photo/Borja Suarez, Reuters) Standing at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, where thousands of migrants arrive each year after dangerous journeys from Africa, Pope Leo XIV recalled the biblical sea monsters Leviathan and Rahab. Yet the greatest threats lurking in these waters, he said, are not cre…
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."
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