Overview
- Pope Leo XIV spoke in Arguineguín on Thursday, threw a bouquet into the sea as a tribute to migrants who died on Atlantic crossings and publicly condemned world 'indifference' to their fate.
- He urged international cooperation to create safe, legal pathways for migrants, called for serious reception and integration processes, and pressed origin countries to promote peace, justice and development.
- The pope accused criminal mafias of exploiting migrants, used strong language against traffickers and listened to the testimony of a Nigerian trafficking survivor who said she was forced into prostitution and separated from her child.
- Official figures cited during the visit show 1,172 deaths or disappearances on the Atlantic route in 2025 and roughly 18,000 arrivals to the Canaries that year, down from about 50,000 in 2024, highlighting the route's deadly risks.
- The visit concludes with a Tenerife migrant center stop and a public mass, a sequence that has prompted moral commentary in Catholic and Spanish media and could intensify pressure on governments to change migration policies.