Pope Leão XIV Spotlights Canary Islands Migrant Deaths and Demands Action

Overview

• The pope completed a Canary Islands leg of his Spain trip during which he heard migrants’ testimonies in Arguineguín, threw a wreath into the sea for those who died at sea, and spoke at a reception and at the Las Raíces shelter in Tenerife.
• He condemned societal indifference and criminal networks that exploit migrants, explicitly urging traffickers to stop and calling for moral and legal accountability for those who profit from dangerous crossings.
• Leão XIV pressed for an international, solidarity-based response that guarantees protection, reception and real integration, remarks made as the EU’s new Migration Pact took full effect and Spanish cooperation with origin countries has reduced arrivals since 2024.
• A light-hearted moment from Tenerife went viral when the pope mirrored a young Senegalese migrant’s 'six-seven' hand gesture after their interaction, a scene captured on video and widely circulated in the press.
• The pope’s planned return to Rome was delayed when the aircraft due to fly him from Tenerife developed a technical problem, forcing him and King Felipe VI to disembark before leaving on an alternate Spanish royal plane.