León XIV finally left last night for Rome from Tenerife North airport, after the unexpected “technical incident” of the plane he was supposed to return to the Italian capital. The solution was provided by King Felipe VI, who offered the pope the Air Force Falcon in which he arrived in Tenerife to bid farewell to His Holiness.
The Holy Father assured that he returns to Rome “moved and comforted by the testimonies of faith and love” and thanked the Canary Islands for the “first welcome” they give to migrant people after a journey in which they are “exposed to dangers and unspeakable violence.”
“Open this sea of love to everyone!”, exclaimed the pope before 35,000 attendees, whom he invited to welcome “against those who speculate with despair.” He also indicated that human beings have “been born for encounter and that there is no obstacle, distance, danger, or threat that can prevent each one from their journey,” insisting on the idea that no human being lives in isolation.
Previously, the pope began his last day in Tenerife at half past nine, visiting the ‘Las Raíces’ reception center. There he addressed the migrants housed there in French to show them his solidarity because, he said, “I also think of their hearts, wounded by so many difficulties, and also consoled by the love received thanks to other open, generous, and merciful hearts.”
Therefore, he invited them “to offer the treasure of humanity, dreams, and culture that they have brought to these islands, and to be open to receiving what is offered to them.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, we all —in some way— are migrants, we are all pilgrims on the way to the heavenly homeland,” he added. “Let us help each other to make this journey a more humane place for all, contributing what is within each one’s reach.”
After that meeting, His Holiness went to the Christ Square of La Laguna, where hundreds of migrants were waiting for his arrival. In that context, he gave a warning to the authorities —emphasizing that “every life lost on the routes of human trafficking is a failure for the human family”— and launched a forceful “stop!” to those who trade in human beings and benefit from their vulnerability. His message was an explicit condemnation of any form of exploitation and a defense of the dignity of migrant people.