Concluding his apostolic visit to Spain today, Pope Leo XIV issued a scathing rebuke to human traffickers and those exploiting vulnerable people, demanding they “stop” and “repent.”
Speaking on the island of Tenerife, a major arrival point for African migrants, the pope warned exploiters they will face divine justice for organizing “death routes.”
Earlier in the day, Pope Leo visited the “Las Raíces” temporary reception center, which has housed over 54,000 migrants since 2021.
The pope met with residents, including a 16-year-old from Gambia, and listened to harrowing testimonies of Atlantic sea crossings.
Addressing Catholic volunteers and integration organizations, Pope Leo emphasised that welcoming migrants is an act of Christian charity, not just a social undertaking.
He called integration a reciprocal journey, urging societies to treat migrants as people created in the image of God rather than legal problems to be managed.
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