Pope preaches repentance at end of Spanish trip

By CathNews New Zealand

June 16th, 2026

Pope Leo XIV (Richard Stuckert/Wikimedia Commons)

Pope Leo urged human traffickers to repent as he concluded his apostolic journey to Spain and the Canary Islands. Source: The Tablet.

Speaking to migrants and organisations who work for them in the Plaza del Cristo de La Laguna in Tenerife on June 12, the Pope turned from discussing the integration of migrants to an appeal to those who profit from irregular migration networks.

“From this square, I wish to address a clear message to those who take advantage of people’s desperation, to those who organise death routes, traffic in human beings, withhold documents, exploit workers, threaten women, deceive families and turn the suffering of others into a business,” he said, invoking scriptural warnings.

“Stop. Repent. The tears and blood of these brothers and sisters cry out to God, and their suffering reaches him. The money wrested from the vulnerability of the poor will bring neither peace, nor honour, nor a future.”

He continued: “For every life lost, every family deceived, every body subjugated, every woman threatened, every worker exploited, you will have to appear before divine justice.

“Break those chains and free those you hold in bondage. Return what has been taken and make amends as much as you can. Repent while there is still time, for God’s mercy can reach even the most hardened sinner, but it enters only through the narrow gate of truth, justice and conversion.”

Migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands peaked in 2024 at nearly 47,000. They have fallen dramatically, with more than 3000 people landing there in the first five months of 2026, the Associated Press reported.

In Gran Canaria the previous day, Pope Leo visited the island’s Las Raíces reception centre where he heard testimonies from migrants and charity workers, before travelling to San Cristóbal de La Laguna for the meeting with migrants, Church groups, charities and civil organisations.

He began his address with praise for work done to help migrants integrate into society, emphasising the need for the Church to support such charity because “in the presence of the needy, faith becomes concrete and love for Christ is transformed into deeds”.

FULL STORY

Human traffickers must ‘repent’ says Leo at end of visit to Spain (By Patrick Hudson/The Tablet)

Pope tells traffickers of migrants: Stop, repent or face God’s wrath (ABC News/Associated Press)