The pope criticized Europe for claiming to defend human dignity while “becoming accustomed to having the Mediterranean and the Atlantic serve as graveyards without tombstones.”
“Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border,” he added.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accompanied Leo on his trip to the Canary Island archipelago, underscoring their common support for pro-migrant policies.
Last April, the center-left government in Madrid announced it would grant legal status to half-a-million unauthorized migrants. The measure is opposed by the center-right People’s Party and the far-right Vox group. Both parties have recently embraced the so-called prioridad nacional — or national priority — policy, which seeks to give Spanish citizens preferential access to state benefits and services.
Leo made his remarks one day before the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact comes into force. The reform is intended to strengthen the bloc’s external borders and make it possible to send failed asylum seekers to hubs outside the EU.
