Pope Prevost Visits Spain to Highlight Canary Islands Migration Crisis
Pope Robert Francis Prevost is visiting Spain, including Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands, to highlight the humanitarian migration crisis and advocate for shared responsibility at Europe's borders.
Leo XIV’s official visit to Spain—covering Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands—marks the conclusion of a long-term diplomatic and pastoral effort. This trip is the result of a roadmap established during Pope Francis’s pontificate, which involved ongoing communication with island authorities and local bishops to address the migration crisis along the Atlantic route.
The Vatican’s focus on the Canary Islands grew following institutional meetings that began in October 2023, when Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo formally invited the Pope to the archipelago. This process was supported by Javier Domingo Fernández González, Chief of Protocol of the Secretariat of State. His personal connection to the island of El Hierro helped bring a direct understanding of the humanitarian emergency at the La Restinga pier to the Vatican. Following official correspondence and an audience with Clavijo in January 2024, the visit was confirmed and ultimately upheld by Pope Robert Francis Prevost.
The decision to make the Canary Islands a central part of the trip is intended to highlight the precarious conditions at Europe’s borders. Pope Prevost has continued his predecessor’s commitment, choosing to include the islands in his first official visit to Spain. His background as an Augustinian, which included leading spiritual retreats in the archipelago, gives him a firsthand understanding of the region’s social and geographical challenges.
The visit takes place against a backdrop of political tension regarding the management of migration, a topic that has frequently been debated in the Spanish Parliament and has strained relations between regional and national governments. The trip follows a period of intense diplomacy, which included sending symbols of the migration journey—such as pieces of boats that arrived in El Hierro—to the Vatican to illustrate the scale of the crisis. With the arrival of the papal delegation, the Church aims to reinforce its call for shared responsibility in addressing migration, a message that has remained a priority for Vatican diplomacy for several years.