Pope Leo XIV throws a bouquet of flowers into the sea, flanked by migrants, during a meeting with organisations working with migrants in Arguineguin at the Canary Islands, Spain, Thursday, June 11, 2026.
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Pope slams world's indifference to migrants while visiting onetime 'dock of shame' in Canary Islands
Pope Leo XIV has traveled to the Canary Islands, an epicenter of the European migration debate. He challenged countries to uphold migrants’ rights while shaming those leaders, including Christians, who turn them away with indifference. Leo issued an impassioned plea to recognize the dignity of migrants from the port of Arguineguin. In 2020, the port earned the name “dock of shame” because of the squalid conditions migrants were forced to live in during a spike in arrivals. The pope heard testimonies from rescue workers and addressed women who have been trafficked and forced into prostitution.
