EUROPE/SPAIN - Canary Islands, “a border that becomes a bridge”: the reflection of the Delegate of Caritas Tenerife after the visit of Leo XIV

Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Fides news Agency) – Pope Leo XIV's visit to the Canary Islands has left a profound mark on the local Church and reinforced the archipelago's role as a place of welcome and encounter between continents. This was emphasized by Juan Pedro Rivero González, diocesan delegate of Caritas Tenerife, in a reflection shared with Fides news Agency at the end of the Pope's apostolic journey to Spain.

Beyond its pastoral dimension, Leo XIV's presence in the Canary Islands, according to Rivero González, has had a significance that transcends the local dimension. "For those who live on these islands, accustomed to looking simultaneously toward Europe, Africa, and America, his words resonated as a confirmation of a vocation that is part of our very identity: to be a land of welcome, encounter, and transit," Rivero González stated.
The diocesan delegate emphasized that the Pope's presence on the islands has brought attention to the migratory reality experienced by the archipelago, one of the main gateways to Europe for thousands of people from Africa. According to him, “the Holy Father did not come merely to contemplate a complex social reality. He wanted to be where human dignity is put to the test.”

Referring to the meetings held by Leo XIV with migrants in Gran Canaria and Tenerife, Rivero González emphasizes that “his words about those who risk their lives crossing the Atlantic in search of a better future have reminded the entire Church that behind every number there is a face, a story, and a hope.” In this context, he adds “when he stated that he wanted to bow before the dignity of migrants, he brought back to the center of the debate an essential truth of the Gospel: the human person is worth more than any border, interest, or political calculation.”
“However,” he continued, “the Pope’s message was not limited to a call for solidarity. It was also an invitation to pastoral conversion. The Canary Islands have experienced during these days that mission begins with listening. Listening to the suffering, the questions, the fears, and the hopes of those who arrive on our shores. A Church that listens is a Church that can credibly proclaim Christian hope,” added the Caritas delegate.

He also believes that one of the most profound lessons of the Pope’s visit is “the understanding that the peripheries are not merely geographical locations. They are human spaces where someone hopes to be recognized, accompanied, and loved. For this reason, the islands, located at the westernmost tip of Europe, became for a few days a symbol of the universal mission of the Church. From this Atlantic frontier, Leo XIV reminded us that the Gospel always impels us toward encounter and that no Christian community can close in on itself.”

At the conclusion of his trip to Tenerife, Rivero González recalls, the Pope invited everyone to “lift up their gaze,” an expression that, in his opinion, summarizes the meaning of these days for the Church in the Canary Islands. “To look beyond our immediate problems, beyond our certainties, and also beyond our borders. To look at our brothers and sisters, to look at the world with hope, and to look at Christ, who continues to meet us in the most vulnerable. For the Church in the Canary Islands, this will probably be the most lasting legacy of these unforgettable days.” (LGR) (Fides News Agency, 18/6/2026)

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