The bishops of the Canary Islands have spoken with unusual frankness about the strain placed on the archipelago by migration from Africa, warning that the local Church and civil authorities alike are increasingly overwhelmed by the human cost of the Atlantic route. Their intervention comes just weeks before Pope Leo XIV is due to visit Spain, with the final stage of his journey taking him to the islands in June.
Bishop Eloy Santiago of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, whose diocese covers Tenerife, said the Canaries have become Europe’s southern frontier in a crisis that often leaves those on the ground feeling helpless. He spoke of a shortage of both human and financial resources, and described the deadly sea crossing from Africa as a reality before which the islands often feel powerless.
