Pope Leo has begun his visit to the Canary Islands to highlight the perilous journeys of migrants crossing the Atlantic to Europe. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
Bakary Jaiju, 19, from Gambia, spent seven days in a wooden boat to reach the Canary Islands. He left behind his wife and child in search of "a better life." According to him, the boat carried around 160 people, including women and children. They evaded patrols off Mauritania and Senegal but ran out of fuel and were rescued near the tiny Spanish island of El Hierro.
Pope Leo will drop flowers into the waves in Gran Canaria in memory of migrants who never made it. He calls for a "respectful welcome" and alternative "safe and legal pathways" to Europe.
After three months in a migrant camp in Tenerife, Jaiju is now learning Spanish and trying to stay legally with help from the Good Samaritan Foundation, run by Padre Pepe, a priest in jeans and checked shirt. He started the foundation because local authorities only support migrants until they turn 18.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government is allowing hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants to regularize their status, criticized by the opposition: the conservative Popular Party called it "irresponsible," and the far-right Vox party called it an "invasion."
However, the socialist government cites humanitarian and economic needs: an aging, shrinking population requires more workers. For instance, the Domingo Alonso Group in Las Palmas hires young migrants as they cannot find local workers. Diana del Molino Rodriguez says they faced fierce criticism initially but now employ about 30 migrants, including 19-year-old Tiene Lama, who sends several hundred euros monthly to his family in Ivory Coast.
As Pope Leo tries to change the tone on migration, a new EU pact kicks in this week aimed at tightening borders, making it easier to detain and deport those arriving by sea.