Pope Leo Visits Canary Islands to Spotlight Migrant Journeys

Bakary Jaiju was nineteen when he boarded a cramped wooden boat in the Gambia and set out for Europe. For seven days at sea, food and water ran low, and every wave felt like a threat to his life.

You can't even sleep in case you fall in, he tells his story in Tenerife, after finally reaching the Canary Islands last year searching for a better life.

He left his wife and child behind, fearing death as a risk to his family’s future. In the months since he arrived, hundreds have died on the brutal Atlantic crossings.

During his tour, Pope Leo will stress the need for safe, legal routes to Europe and call for a respectful welcome for those who pay smugglers and travel in basic boats.

The Pope’s message contrasts sharply with political rhetoric calling migration a crisis and an ideological “invasion.”

UNHCR data shows the number of arrival by sea to Spain has dropped this year, partly due to increased EU‑funded interdiction off West Africa, yet many still attempt the dangerous crossing.

Bakary’s own journey included a boat with 160 people, evading patrols off Mauritania and Senegal, only to be rescued near El Hierro. He then spent three grueling months in a migrant camp in Tenerife before participating in a project that helped him learn Spanish and secure legal residency.

Padre Pepe, a local parish priest, founded the Good Samaritan Foundation to support such migrants. They offer accommodation and workshops to roughly 170 young men and women, arguing that the labour market can absorb them.

Spanish companies are now hiring migrant workers through a government scheme that links young migrants with local businesses in need of labour. One participant, 19‑year‑old Tiene Lama, now sends hundreds of euros to his family in Ivory Coast.

Spanish policymakers are dividing on the issue: the SPD‑led government sees migrant integration as vital for an ageing workforce, while right‑wing parties accuse the move of encouraging more migration and threatening Spain’s social services.

The Pope’s visit arrives just as a new EU pact seeks to tighten borders further, aiming to simplify detention and deportation of sea arrivals. Officials in the Canary Islands warn that real migration policy should give African nations paths to safe arrival and work, rather than promoting expulsion.

See back‑drop photo of Bakary Jaiju smiling with the Gambian shoreline in the background.