The Pope warns smugglers to face the wrath of God Religious Matters

Migration has been a major issue during Pope Leo’s week-long visit to Spain.

Pope Leo has warned human traffickers that they will face God’s wrath if they continue to exploit Africans who want to reach Europe through the Canary Islands in Spain.

On Friday, his second day in the Canary Islands, the pope said he wanted to speak directly to those who “take advantage of people’s desperation (or) to fix dead ends”.

Throughout his week-long trip to Spain, the American pope he stressed on the dignity and rights of refugees, encouraging international leaders to welcome and integrate them into society.

“Stop, repent,” said Pope Leo. “For every life lost, every family deceived… you must appear before God’s justice.”

“Repent while there is still time,” he said, referring to the Catholic belief that a person who has done bad things in life can confess his sins and make amends or be thrown into hell after death.

Leo was visiting the Canary Islands, a group of Spanish islands off the west coast of Africa, as the culmination of a three-year trip to Spain.

The islands are one of the main entry points into Europe for migrants, who risk crossing the Atlantic Ocean, often in small, overcrowded boats.

Earlier, the first person from the United States to lead the Roman Catholic Church, warned world leaders that history will condemn those who allow people fleeing war or poverty to suffer.

Located more than 1,000km (620 miles) from Spain, the Canaries saw an increase in immigration in 2024, with the islands receiving 46,843 migrants, compared to less than 1,000 in 2015, according to government data.

More than 3,000 people died last year trying to reach the islands, according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras.

The Pope also visited a house in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, to hear testimonies from refugees. The site has welcomed nearly 70,000 visitors since it opened in 2021.

Another woman, Bousso Diouf, told Pope Leo that immigrants did not want special privileges but “dignity, humanity and the chance to live a dignified life.”