Pope Leo XIV Visits Canary Islands as New EU Migration Pact Takes Effect

Pope Leo XIV began a two-day visit to the Canary Islands on Thursday by meeting migrants who crossed the Atlantic and throwing a wreath into the sea at the southern port of Arguineguín on Gran Canaria in tribute to those who died attempting the journey.

The Pope told a gathering on Gran Canaria that migrants "are not numbers or files, you are people," and stated that he "bowed" before their dignity. He called for "legal and safe pathways" and urged the "conscience of Europe" not to "grow accustomed" to seas becoming unmarked graves.

UNHCR data show arrivals by sea to Spain have fallen this year, partly due to increased interceptions off the West African coast by EU-funded naval patrols. Many people continue to attempt the crossing. Bakary Jaiju left the Gambia at age 19 in a wooden boat carrying approximately 160 people including women and children.

He spent seven days at sea before reaching shore in Tenerife late last year after the vessel ran out of fuel off El Hierro and was rescued. Jaiju spent three months in a migrant camp before joining a project to learn Spanish and obtain legal residency in Tenerife.

" Padre Pepe, a parish priest, runs the Good Samaritan Foundation, which provides accommodation and workshops to about 170 young men who have aged out of state care.

The foundation works with local businesses to place migrants in jobs. The Domingo Alonso Group workshop in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria employs around 30 young migrants, including 19-year-old Tiene Lama from Ivory Coast, who sends several hundred euros each month to his family. Dozens of companies, including major hotel chains, have joined the placement scheme.

Pedro Sánchez's government allows undocumented migrants who arrived before last December to apply for residence and work permits. The conservative Popular Party called the measure "irresponsible," while the far-right Vox party described it as an "invasion" that would strain health services, housing, and security.