Pope Leo bows to migrants' 'dignity' in Gran Canaria

Pope Leo bows to migrants' 'dignity' in Gran Canaria June 11, 2026Pope Leo XIV on Thursday continued his weeklong tour of Spain with a visit to a port in the Canary Islands that became the epicenter of a massive migration crisis that hit the islands in recent years. The pope visited the port of Arguineguin on Gran Canaria island, where he addressed migrants and lambasted the international community and leaders, especially in Europe, over the treatment of migrants. The visit was in line with the wider theme of his Spain tour, and satisfied the unfulfilled wish of his predecessor Pope Francis, who also adopted the cause of migrants' rights. What did Pope Leo say in Gran Canaria? The pontiff cast a wreath into the sea to remember the thousands who have died while attempting to cross into Europe, in a similar gesture to that done by Pope Francis during his 2013 visit to Lampedusa in Sicily, another migration flashpoint. "May history not accuse us of turning the pain of those who suffer into a common sight along our shores," he said. "Today, here by the sea, every individual that arrives asks us what remains of our humanity." He urged authorities in countries where migrants flee to improve security and economic conditions and called on transit countries to protect migrants against smugglers and traffickers. But he was particularly critical of European politicians, where a crackdown on migration has intensified in recent years amid pressure from the far right. Leo appealed to the continent's "conscience," arguing it cannot claim to uphold human dignity while being unconcerned by the Mediterranean and the Atlantic becoming "unmarked graves." "Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border," the pope said. He also directly addressed the migrants gathered around him, where a cross made of the wood of shipwrecked boats lay. "Dear migrants, before saying anything else to you, I want to bow before your dignity," the pope said. "You are not just numbers or files. You are people who have left behind families and homes. You have dreams that no one has the right to despise." Why was Arguineguin dubbed 'Dock of Shame?' Located over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands are effectively closer to Africa than to Europe, and have therefore become the point of arrival for migrants attempting to cross into Europe from Africa in recent years. The port of Arguineguin was dubbed the "dock of shame" in 2020 after thousands of migrants slept there in the open or under makeshift shelters, living in squalid conditions after arrivals surged during the pandemic. In 2024, a record of over 46,000 people arrived in the archipelago, before deals between the European Union, Spain and several West African governments saw a dramatic fall in arrivals. In the first five months of 2026, just over 3,000 arrivals were recorded. Records by the International Organization of Migration's Missing Migrants Project suggest some 6,600 people have died on the Atlantic route from West Africa since records began in 2014. The real figure is believed to be much higher, amid the sparse information and the phenomenon of "invisible shipwrecks." Spanish migrants rights group Walking Borders (Caminando Fronteras) estimates over 25,000 deaths or missing cases among those attempting to reach the Canary Islands since 2020. On Thursday, a sign was put up renaming the port of Arguneguin as the "dock of hope." Edited by: Sean Sinico