Pope Francis Slams European Indifference to Migrants in Gran Canaria Visit

Pope Francis on Thursday slammed European governments for their “indifference” to the plight of migrants during his visit to the Spanish island of Gran Canaria.

Speaking from the port of Arguineguín, where thousands of African migrants spent the early days of the Covid pandemic confined to a dock without access to adequate food or shelter, Francis called for authorities to show greater compassion for those who “risk death to seek life.”

“It is not enough to manage arrivals, distribute statistics, reinforce borders or lament deaths after they have occurred,” he said, addressing an audience that included migrants. “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.”

The pope criticized Europe for claiming to defend human dignity while “becoming accustomed to having the Mediterranean and the Atlantic serve as graveyards without tombstones.”

“Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border,” he added.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accompanied Francis on his trip to the Canary Island archipelago, underscoring their common support for pro-migrant policies.

Last April, the center-left government in Madrid announced it would grant legal status to half-a-million unauthorized migrants. The measure is opposed by the center-right People’s Party and the far-right Vox group. Both parties have recently embraced the so-called prioridad nacional — or national priority — policy, which seeks to give Spanish citizens preferential access to state benefits and services.

Francis made his remarks one day before the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact comes into force. The reform is intended to strengthen the bloc’s external borders and make it possible to send failed asylum seekers to hubs outside the EU.