Pope Leo XIV departed Spain on June 12, with a blast against human traffickers of migrants, while demanding that they be treated with respect for their human dignity. The Pope spoke at the Plaza del Cristo de La Laguna in Tenerife, Canary Islands, at a meeting with organizations working for the integration of migrants.
At the end of his remarks, the Pope said:
“From this square, I wish to address a clear message to those who take advantage of people’s desperation, to those who organize death routes, traffic in human beings, withhold documents, exploit workers, threaten women, deceive families and turn the suffering of others into a business. Stop. Repent (cf. Mk 1:15). The tears and blood of these brothers and sisters cry out to God, and their suffering reaches him (cf. Gen 4:10; Ex 3:7–9). The money wrested from the vulnerability of the poor will bring neither peace, nor honor, nor a future (cf. Jer 22:13; Job 5:1–6).
“For every life lost, every family deceived, every body subjugated, every woman threatened, every worker exploited, you will have to appear before divine justice (cf. 2 Cor 5:10). Break those chains and free those you hold in bondage (cf. Is 58:6). 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 (cf. Ez 33:11).”
A bit earlier in his speech, the Pope talked about what integration of migrants into society does and doesn’t mean:
“Integration does not mean erasing the history of those who arrive or demanding that they leave behind everything that is part of their memory. Nor does it mean creating parallel worlds, closed off from one another, where people live side by side without truly encountering one another. Integration is a reciprocal journey: those who arrive learn to inhabit a new land, and those who welcome them learn to expand their own homes without diluting their identity or closing their hearts to the encounter.”
He urged the migrants themselves to take needed steps to integrate: “To you, dear migrant brothers and sisters, a noble and necessary part of this journey belongs: to open yourselves with trust to the community that welcomes you, to learn its language, to respect its laws, to get to know its customs, to participate in communal life and to offer your gifts with gratitude.”
The receiving countries and societies have a responsibility as well: “Every welcoming society has responsibilities toward those who arrive, and those who are welcomed also discover that dignity, recognized as a right, flourishes when it becomes a duty and a sincere desire to build together with others. In this way, those who arrived as strangers can rediscover bonds, rebuild trust and feel like a living part of a community. This is a precious form of mercy.
“We are speaking, above all, of people created in the image and likeness of God, rather than of legal categories or problems to be managed. After difficult journeys and, at times, several attempts—as in Khalid’s case—they look for someone to tell them through actions rather than with words: your life is not a waste; your suffering is not invisible; your dignity has not been washed away in the waters you have crossed—as Mbacke told us. Yet they are also looking for something more: a concrete possibility to start over, to learn, work, serve, participate and not to remain forever trapped in the role of victims…
“They remind us that integration means making space so that a person can feel a sense of shared responsibility. In this way, yesterday’s stranger can be today’s brother and neighbor.
“I would like to ask Catholics for something else: that integration not be reduced to a social undertaking, however necessary that may be. Those who come to our parishes need bread, shelter, language assistance, work and protection. They also must find a community capable of offering paths to knowing Jesus Christ through the witness of life and word, while always respecting the conscience and freedom of each person. Evangelization is sharing, with respect and humility, the treasure that sustains our action and our hope. A Church that welcomes is also a Church that proclaims, offering Christ without imposing him and which, at the same time, receives the Gospel from the hands of the poor.
“A human conscience, and even more so a Christian conscience, cannot remain indifferent in the face of these graveyards of the sea, to the victims of shipwrecks and the lack of aid. Every life lost on these routes is a failure for the human family. Nevertheless, there is also a silent shipwreck that occurs after arrival: being left alone in a city, without a voice, without ties, work or a sense of security, and exposed to those who take advantage of vulnerability. Integration means preventing that second shipwreck. It means helping those who arrived wounded not to remain forever stuck in their pain, but to be able to get back on their feet, recognize their gifts and offer them to the community.”
