The Pope criticizes world "indifference" to the migratory drama: "What remains of our humanity?!"

Special envoy to the Canary Islands (Arguineguín pier)A total of 635 people have died in the first six months of this year on the maritime route to the Canary Islands. The figure, from the Caminando Fronteras report, highlights how devastating the panorama is that Pope Leo XIV visited this Thursday. At the Arguineguín dock, in Gran Canaria – also known as the "dock of shame" – 3,000 people were crowded in 2020 due to the pandemic and it maintains a constant flow of arrivals, as does the island of El Hierro. From the scene of the tragedy, the Pope has tried to shake consciences, addressing rulers, Europe, the international community, and the countries of origin: "Beside the sea, every life that arrives asks us what remains of our humanity. Sooner or later, it will be known whether we knew how to protect it or if we let indifference speak for us.

L'Usma felt comforted by his words. He is one of those who arrived on the island in 2020, precisely through this dock. Now he is sitting among members of associations working with immigrants: with nothing to his name, suffering the dangers of a sea full of death, he tells the ARA how he felt. "I liked it a lot," says this practicing Muslim who fervently applauds the head of the Catholics. This is coexistence and harmony with his words, in his opinion.

Very close by, wearing an identification t-shirt, is the founder and director of Open Arms, Oscar Camps. He is satisfied that the pontiff is the "dissonant voice of the world" and that he has set tasks for the rulers, in addition to thanking the volunteers for their work. "It was good, he inherited the trip and the discourse of Francis," Camps tells this newspaper. He hopes that more forcefulness and a shaking of consciences will push towards a radical change at a time when a migratory pact is being negotiated in Europe which is "a disgrace", in his opinion.

Political dart

pronounced in Madrid on the eve of young peopleThe call to action began with Catholics and ended with rulers. "By the sea, the Word becomes concrete", with a call for reception, which has even been incorporated into the motto of the visit to become "Raise your gaze and welcome". For this reason, the pontiff "cannot turn a blind eye to these docks". "The Church cannot turn a blind eye to these waters or to any place where hunger, thirst, violence, fear, or exile continue to wound human dignity", he defended. And calling for action, he added that believers cannot kneel before Christ and "pass by" the rafts. Words similar to those he pronounced in Madrid at the youth vigilThe reflection made by Leo XIV is that immigrants could be the children of any of those present and that "it is not enough to manage arrivals and distribute figures", but rather to think about what has generated this world for these dangerous flows to multiply. Last year, more than 11,000 people arrived alive on the Canary Islands.

In internal politics, Pedro Sánchez has taken advantage of Leo XIV's visit to endorse his humanist discourse on migration. It is no coincidence that he followed him from yesterday evening to accompany him to the Mass and blessing of the Sagrada Família and that he now also wanted to applaud his speech in the Canary Islands, while taking advantage of the contradictions of the right and far-right on immigration for his cultural battle. The criticism of national priority from Congress has not gone unnoticed, and he is taking advantage of it, while PP and Vox emphasize the Pope's opposition to euthanasia and abortion, respectively.

Pope Francis began his pontificate with a visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, where the drama of immigration and deaths at sea are a torment. The Pope has already visited several African countries such as Algeria or Cameroon, and now the Canary Islands in Spain, a pending trip that precedes a visit to Lampedusa next month. Leo XIV has called for rescue, assistance, "serious processes of welcome and integration" and "policies that allow people to live with dignity, the right to asylum and the right not to migrate."

Tragic stories

Diverse testimonies such as Aiu, a victim of human trafficking, or a member of maritime rescue, Tito Villarmea, have caused moments of emotion for the pontiff, who has made a floral offering for those who died at sea and blessed a rudimentary cross. "Dear migrants, I want to bow before your dignity. Human dignity has no passport nor does it lose value when crossing a border," defended Leo XIV in a constant call for human dignity.