Pope Leo returns to Vatican on aircraft provided by Spanish King

“Pope Leo XIV will return to Rome aboard an aircraft graciously made available by His Majesty the King of Spain. 

The flight is scheduled to depart at around 6:00 p.m. local time and is expected to arrive in Rome at approximately 11:00 p.m. Rome time.

The Holy See staff and the journalists travelling on the papal flight will return in the coming hours on a separate aircraft provided by IBERIA.”

The statement published by the Holy See Press Office on Telegram came in the wake of a technical problem that prevented the IBERIA plane set to fly the Pope back to Rome from departing.

The plane took off just after 6.00 pm local time.

Unprecedented end to a papal journey

That was how, in an unprecedented development, Pope Leo XIV’s fourth international apostolic journey came to an at Tenerife North Airport (Los Rodeos), concluding the weeklong visit that took him to Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

The departure was delayed for a considerable time due to a technical problem with the engine of the Iberia Airbus A320. The aircraft began its takeoff procedures at around 4:15 p.m. local time.

Shortly afterwards, however, the boarding stairs were brought back to the aircraft and the Pope was escorted to the airport’s VIP lounge by King Felipe VI, who had bid him farewell only moments earlier. 

They were soon followed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, along with the other cardinals and bishops accompanying the papal delegation, who also disembarked.

The Farewell Ceremony

The Farewell Ceremony had taken place as per schedule. 

Having arrived at the airport at around 3:45 p.m. local time, Pope Leo XIV was greeted by King Felipe VI of Spain, several local authorities, and representatives of the local Church. 

Following the playing of the national anthems and the honours paid to the flags, the Pope and the King reviewed the Guard of Honour and then greeted their respective delegations.

Rome’s cardinal denies involvement in brother’s corruption probe

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar of the Diocese of Rome, denied Jun. 8 being part of a criminal investigation against his brother involving several Sicilian politicians and businessmen.

The denial came as media reports in Italy questioned whether the cardinal had knowledge on his brother’s alleged dealings.

Domenico Reina, the cardinal’s brother, was accused by the Caltanissetta prosecutor’s office of receiving a public contract worth 128,000 euros, which was allegedly arranged by operatives linked to the Forza Italia political party, in an effort to curry favor with the cardinal and shore up support among Catholic voters in Sicily’s regional elections.

While the cardinal denied all knowledge of his brother’s dealings, Italian newspaper La Repubblica published an article June 9 citing alleged transcripts of phone conversations between the cardinal and his brother, in which the cardinal discussed and encouraged his brother to accept the contract and appeared aware of political links to the job.

A statement issued to the Italian news agency ANSA on Jun. 8 by Cardinal Reina’s attorney stressed that the cardinal “is not under investigation nor formally involved in the criminal proceedings in question,” after prosecutors in Caltanissetta announced an investigation into Domenico Reina, the cardinal’s brother, and 11 others over an alleged scheme involving corrupt hiring and contract-award practices at a Sicilian public healthcare agency aimed at securing political favors.

The statement said that the cardinal is “completely uninvolved in the facts being investigated and, according to the prosecution’s own hypothesis, is completely unaware of his brother’s actions and the intentions of his interlocutors.”

“Any reference to the cardinal in the investigation documents pertains exclusively to the assessments or intentions of third parties, not supported by any agreement or pact with the same, and does not imply any responsibility, not even moral, on the part of the cardinal himself,” the statement concluded.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina served as auxiliary bishop of Rome between 2022 and 2024. He was in October 2024 appointed cardinal vicar of Rome – the day-to-day leader of the Diocese of Rome, acting on behalf of the pope. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in December 2024.

The Caltanissetta’s prosecutor office alleges that Reina’s brother was approached as a way to curry favor with the cardinal, and to secure influence with the Catholic vote in the south.

However, La Repubblica published a report on Tuesday that raised questions abouts about the extent to which Cardinal Reina knew of his brother’s dealings.

The article cited a partial transcription – without explaining its source – of a November 2023 phone call between then-Bishop Reina and his brother, in which his brother expressed was deciding between taking job offers in a private clinic and or a 15-month project at Cefpas, the Center for Continuing Education and Professional Development of Health Service Personnel, a public agency for training healthcare personnel in Sicily — the role under investigation.

According to La Repubblica, Cardinal Reina reportedly insisted on the call that his brother should choose Cefpas because “it’s a well established organization” and that “Margherita [La Rocca Ruvolo] might be upset” if he didn’t choose the role at Cefpas, making reference to a local Forza Italia Member of Parliament.

While the prosecutor did not open an investigation against La Rocca Ruvolo, the prosecutor’s office said that “”the sole purpose pursued by the suspects was to curry favor with Reina’s brother, Cardinal Baldassarre, known as Baldo, in order to channel Catholic voters to Margherita La Rocca Ruvolo.”

During the call, according to La Repubblica, then-Bishop Reina pushed his brother to accept the Cefpas offer, because of its prestige: “Anyone who has been fortunate enough to get in there has never had their job put in question. That’s the point.”

The reported sections of the transcripts do not mention the amount or nature of the contract, nor do they refer to the prosecution’s allegation that the arrangement was intended to curry favor with Cardinal Reina and influence Catholic voters in Sicily.

Domenico Reina eventually accepted the Cefpas offer in January 2024. According to La Repubblica, he then sent a text message to La Rocca Ruvolo, saying “I’m forwarding the contract I received. I’ll read it carefully, but I hope there aren’t any clauses that could get me into trouble.”

According to La Repubblica, Roberto Sanfilippo, former director of Cefpas and one of the 12 men being investigated, publicly boasted because of helping “the pope’s deputy’s brother” because “Margherita La Rocca asked me to give this young man a hand.”

According to the prosecutor, the group managed hiring and the awarding of consulting contracts at Cefpas by implementing a system of cronyism, partially to gain electoral support, including among Catholics through the awarding of contracts to figures such as Domenico Reina.

“The use of Cefpas for purely personal purposes… also came to light in the corruption case involving the direct negotiation of the contract for the creation of a digital library for Cefpas, for which a sum of €128,000 was contemplated for Domenico Reina, an individual with no previous experience in multimedia documentation networks or in general.”

Riccardo Gallo Afflito, a politician described as La Rocca Ruvolo’s “political ally” in the proceedings, is one of three people for whom prosecutors have requested pre-trial detention. 

Prosecutors requested house arrest for five others, but did not seek any precautionary measure against Domenico Reina.

The investigation also alleges that Cefpas was used to award 75 temporary contracts to the wives, children, sons-in-law, and political associates of members of the same party, for “no show” or “no work” roles for which they lacked the necessary qualifications. 

The contracts were mostly awarded in February this year, just three months before local elections, which were held on May 24 and 25.

According to Il Fatto Quotidiano, Gallo Afflito was accused in the past by Daniele Sciabica, a mafia informant, of being involved in several mafia-related murders between 1985 and 1988 but the Palermo prosecutor’s office later closed the investigation without pressing charges against him.

New arrest in Caritas Luxembourg embezzlement scandal

Italian police have arrested a woman on suspicion of playing a major role in laundering around 61 million euros (approximately $70 million) embezzled from Caritas Luxembourg.

The 41-year-old suspect was detained in northwestern Rome, Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper reported June 5, in connection with the scandal, which led to the effective dissolution of the Catholic charity founded in 1932.

Fraudsters are believed to have extracted an estimated 61 million euros from the charity in more than 100 transactions of less than 500,000 euros ($579,000) between February and July 2024.

The suspect, identified as Clarissa La Porta, was wanted under a European Arrest Warrant issued by judicial authorities in Luxembourg on suspicion of forging documents, fraud, criminal association, and money laundering.

Investigators allege that she created shell companies and bank accounts in countries including Austria, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden, and falsified accounting and corporate documents to help launder funds embezzled from Caritas Luxembourg. They consider her to be a trusted associate of a leader of an unnamed criminal organization.

La Porta, who is originally from Turin, has not publicly responded to the allegations.

Corriere della Sera said that investigators believed she was preparing to leave for Dubai when Italy’s State Police and Financial Police arrested her at an apartment in Rome’s Trionfale district.

Following the arrest, she was taken to the city’s Rebibbia prison ahead of possible extradition to Luxembourg, a small, prosperous country bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany.

Her detention is the latest twist in a scandal that emerged in July 2024, prompting anger among government officials in Luxembourg and a national debate about oversight of charities receiving state funds.

After Caritas Luxembourg filed a criminal complaint for the misappropriation of funds, the public prosecutor’s office requested the opening of a judicial investigation into suspected forgery, fraud, breach of trust, and money laundering.

The office said in July 2024 that an individual — widely reported to be the chief financial officer — had appeared for questioning and was arrested. The person was later released from custody.

In August 2024, it emerged that two banks had approved tens of millions of euros in loans to the charity while the suspected fraud was occurring.

Also in August 2024, Luxembourg’s public prosecutor’s office said Caritas Luxembourg may have fallen victim to “fake president fraud,” in which a fraudster impersonates a senior figure within a company and demands that employees arrange urgent international payments.

In September 2024, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden denounced what he called “a horrible fraud” and indicated that a new organization would replace Caritas Luxembourg. The charity announced it would be forced to close its overseas aid projects because of the embezzlement scandal.

In October 2024, the newly established non-profit Hellëf um Terrain (Help on the Ground) took over much of Caritas Luxembourg’s work within the country.

Also in October 2024, investigators began to focus on a Bulgarian crime organization suspected of duping the chief financial officer into transferring funds with the help of a fortune teller, who allegedly passed on information that the employee had confided about her workplace.

In January 2025, the public prosecutor’s office announced the arrest of eight suspects after a joint police operation in Bulgaria, France, and Britain. A ninth person, from Bulgaria, was detained later that month.

In July 2025, two men from Bulgaria were given jail sentences for helping to launder money taken from the charity, after they opened bank accounts in Spain and made them available to the fraud scheme’s organizers. The men’s attorney argued that they were “money mules,” or people unwittingly used by criminals to transfer illegally obtained funds.

Also in July 2025, a special parliamentary inquiry into Caritas Luxembourg concluded with a report making 12 recommendations, including improving employee supervision and promoting the professionalization of the charitable sector.

In a July 2025 update, the public prosecutor’s office said: “It must be acknowledged that the vast majority of the assets have disappeared through a combination of money-laundering techniques and a cascade of transfers carried out worldwide, involving increasingly smaller amounts, each subsequently invested in cryptocurrencies.”

“The arrangements put in place to shield the funds embezzled from the [Caritas] Foundation from the authorities point to the existence of a network of professional money launderers, using company incorporation and bank account-opening techniques, primarily through nominees or money mules recruited from disadvantaged and low-income backgrounds.”

It added: “Such a network is likely to provide its services to one or more fraudsters seeking to conceal illicit proceeds from law-enforcement authorities. These services encompass a broad range of money-laundering methods. As the operations progress, the trail of the embezzled funds is lost, particularly because of the fungibility of money.”

In December 2025, the office announced that the investigation had entered a new phase, focused on “alleged recruiters who may have provided instructions for the establishment of Spanish bank accounts.”

‘Pure arrogance’: Victim of Limerick paedophile ex-priest speaks out after his release from jail

THE VICTIM of a defrocked Limerick paedophile priest, who refused to apologise after he was released from prison, has described it as “pure arrogance”.

“Sexual predator” Terry Loughran, aged 67, from Limerick city, is a free man after serving three years of prison sentences totalling four-and-a-half years.

Loughran, known as a “singing priest”, groomed and sexually assaulted a teenager in parish houses in Croom and Kilfinane, in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, on trips abroad, and in hotel rooms after concerts, Limerick Circuit Court heard in 2023.

Loughran pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault on the boy between May 1998 and January 2001. The victim was aged between 14 and 17 at the time while the then Fr Loughran was in his late 30s. 

He was one of the most well-known priests in the Limerick Diocese and served in a number of parishes in the city and county. Loughran was “defrocked” in 2013.

He was released last month from Castlerea Prison where Sunday World journalist Patrick O’Connell asked him, “Would you like to apologise to your victims?”

“No, I’ve nothing to say,” said Loughran, who was carrying his guitar, baggage and a large picture frame.

“Would you like to express any remorse at all?" Mr O’Connell persisted.

*No, I’ve done my time, that’s all,” replied Loughran, who walked away.

The Limerick Leader contacted the victim who described the interaction as typical of Loughran’s “pure arrogance”.

“It is exactly what I expected. I know him so well. I know the person he is. I know the mentality of him - pure arrogance,” said the victim, who recalled talking to a person on the eve of Loughran’s release.

“I said, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes out with a guitar in his hand and a bag in his other hand’ and that’s exactly what he did,” he said.

The Leader asked him how he felt when he heard Loughran was being released after serving three years for the sexual crimes he committed.

“I was contacted by a prison liaison officer four to five weeks prior to his release to tell me the date. It was just a feeling of deflation. He was put away but he was still in the back of your mind - certain things might trigger you off or certain times of the year - but when you officially see it in black and white that his release date is May 19…”

The Leader asked him if it was a “fair sentence”.

“No, absolutely not - he’s out in three years - but there isn’t long enough. It just feels it’s gone by in a flash. It’s deflating. That’s the only way I could describe it. It wasn’t even feeling anger or sadness,” he said.

The victim told the Leader that he has heard indirectly that Loughran “has some sort of a support network still on the outside”. It is believed that Loughran has not returned to Limerick and has gone “up the country”.

A garda investigation commenced in 2017 after they received a notification from the Limerick diocesan office of historic sex abuse following a complaint by the victim. Loughran denied the charges after he was arrested in 2019.

A trial commenced in 2022 with Loughran pleading not guilty. He changed his plea to guilty after the victim gave evidence in the witness box but before he was cross-examined.

A key piece of evidence in the case, investigated by Sergeant David Boland, was from St Patrick’s College, Maynooth where a sexual assault took place. It was where the ex-priest was ordained.

Loughran denied that the victim ever stayed in St Patrick’s College but may have visited. 

Sgt Boland said gardai took a photo of a picture of Loughran’s ordination class on a wall that the victim said the then priest showed him.

Photos taken by gardai of a bedroom with a timber floor also corroborated the victim’s allegation, as did a story Fr Loughran told the victim about a room that was “boarded up forever” as a seminarian died by suicide in there in the 1800s.

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV TO SPAIN (6-12 JUNE 2026) MEETING WITH ORGANIZATIONS WORKING FOR THE INTEGRATION OF MIGRANTS

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV

"Plaza del Cristo de La Laguna" (Tenerife)

Friday, 12 June 2026

____________________________

Address of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters,

It is a pleasure for me to share this moment with you here in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, the seat of this diocese. I was struck by what has been said about this city: It is without walls, an open city.

Perhaps this detail helps us to understand that the barriers that are the hardest to break down are not always made of stone. Sometimes they lie in our attitudes, in fear or in indifference. The sea which surrounds these islands brings us stories that we do not always know how to interpret: stories of pain, of hope and of searching. In a city without walls, the heart too is called to open wide to welcome those who bring these stories with them. That is why we need to learn the language of closeness, which is understood more with hands than with words.

Braille and other forms of tactile writing remind us that words can also be conveyed through touch. In the same way, integration requires learning to read in a different way. There are those whose gazes see and yet do not recognize; they turn a face into a number, a story into a file and a difference into distance. The Gospel, therefore, teaches us a deeper way of reading reality: one that originates from closeness, patience and hands capable of helping, accompanying, guiding, teaching and opening paths.

In the efforts to integrate these brothers and sisters of ours — as in every work of charity — the Church learns to read in the concrete lives of those who suffer in body or spirit a living sign that points to the holy Gospels. It becomes legible through touch and closeness when we feel the wounds of others. Like Thomas before the glorious body of the Risen One, the Church too learns that viewed through the lens of faith, wounds can become a place of recognition. Where human suffering is touched with love, Christ confirms to us that he is present in the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned and the stranger (cf. Mt 25:35–40). From that faith which recognizes the living Christ springs the service of Father Darwin and of so many others. Christian charity flows from the love of God poured into the heart of the believer; for this reason, in the presence of the needy, faith becomes concrete and love for Christ is transformed into deeds.

From this conviction, our presence aims to bear witness to the fact that solidarity arises from the recognition of human dignity and transcends any mere act of charity or philanthropy. It is called to be a commitment and to take the form of a process. Welcome opens the door; integration helps one cross the threshold. Assistance applies a salve to the wound, and integration rebuilds the future.

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. 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.

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.

In this regard, I would like to express my gratitude for Bishop Eloy’s words and, through them, for the witness of a Church that, even with limited resources, seeks to “walk with those who are walking.” Thank you to the Diocesan Caritas, the Diocesan Migration Office, the parishes and the many ecclesial and civil organizations that go beyond providing immediate aid to support processes of protection, promotion and integration. Thank you for making it possible for those who were once accompanied to become — as Thalia reminded us — a bridge for others, returning the love they received. When those who once needed a helping hand begin to extend their own, the charity received is transformed into shared responsibility.

At the same time, we cannot forget the many migrants from Latin America, the Philippines and other parts of the world who are already a living part of the community. Through their faith, work and gifts, they help to renew the community. Let yourselves also be evangelized by them, for they surely bring with them gifts that Providence has wished to send to you through those who are integrating. 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.

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).

Sisters and brothers, fear, indifference and the violence of those who trade in human life must not have the final word. That belongs to Christ, who identifies with the stranger, touches the wounds of humanity and calls us to recognize him in every brother and sister who needs to be welcomed, protected, supported and integrated. Let us lift our gaze to him, without turning away from those who suffer; let us look to the Lord to learn to see our brothers and sisters through his eyes.

The Holy Family of Nazareth, which had to flee to Egypt to protect the life of the Child Jesus (cf. Mt 2:13–15), remains for all time a model and refuge for every refugee family, every migrant and every person forced to leave their homeland out of fear, persecution or necessity (cf. Pius XII, Apostolic Constitution Exsul Familia). May the members of the Holy Family sustain the service you offer and make this land a place where everyone recognizes and treats one another as brothers and sisters. May God bless you. Thank you very much.

___________________________________

Impromptu Remarks of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from the Balcony of the Bishopric of San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife)

Good morning, everyone. 

Thank you all very much. Thank you for being here, and thank you for such a warm and beautiful welcome. Above all, I want to thank you for the generosity and hospitality you show to immigrants and newcomers. 

Every one of us deserves to be recognized because of the dignity that God bestowed upon us at the moment of our creation. 

We are all brothers and sisters, some from Peru, some from Colombia, some from Venezuela, some from Tenerife. 

But together we are one human family. 

Thanks be to God, who has given us the gift of life. 

Thanks be to God, who has given us the capacity to love and to be loved. It is in sharing our lives with one another that we discover the deepest meaning and purpose of our existence. 

Thank you all. 

We will meet again a little later. 

Thank you for being here, and may God bless you abundantly: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Thank you. Thank you very much.

A technical failure in the papal plane forces Leo XIV to delay his return to Rome

The apostolic visit of Leo XIV to Spain concluded this Friday with an unexpected incident at Tenerife North Airport. 

A technical fault detected in the aircraft that was to take the Pontiff to Rome forced a delay in the flight’s departure when the plane was already prepared for takeoff.

The mishap occurred just minutes after the official farewell ceremony that marked the end of seven days of intense pastoral activity by the Pope in Madrid, Barcelona, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

Official farewell and boarding of the Pontiff

Before heading to the aircraft, Leo XIV held a meeting of about 25 minutes with King Felipe VI in the VIP lounge at Los Rodeos Airport. 

He then took part in a brief farewell ceremony attended by representatives of the Government, the Armed Forces, the Apostolic Nunciature and local authorities.

After personally greeting those present, the Pope boarded the Iberia aircraft that was to return him to Rome together with the Vatican delegation that had accompanied him throughout the trip.

The captain reports a technical issue

When departure seemed imminent, the aircraft’s captain announced a technical problem that forced the operation to be halted.

According to what he explained to the passengers, the maintenance team believed the issue could be related to wind conditions during the start-up of one of the engines. 

For this reason, it was initially proposed to tow the aircraft and change its orientation in an attempt to restart the engine.

“I am very sorry about the situation. Our maintenance team proposes towing the aircraft and turning it around, because the engine problem was probably caused by the tailwind,” the captain communicated, according to El País.

However, the inspection work took longer than expected and the technicians concluded that an immediate departure could not be guaranteed.

Felipe VI accompanied the Pope during disembarkation

Faced with the impossibility of quickly resolving the issue, it was decided to disembark the passengers.

It was then that King Felipe VI returned inside the aircraft and personally accompanied Leo XIV during his exit from the plane while the technical inspection continued.

Several members of the Vatican delegation also left the aircraft, including the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Spanish cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime.

Leo XIV will return to Rome on a Falcon

Given the impossibility of guaranteeing an immediate departure of the Iberia aircraft in which the Pontiff was to travel, an alternative solution was finally chosen to facilitate his return to the Vatican.

According to the latest reports, Leo XIV will travel to Rome on board a Falcon aircraft made available to him by King Felipe VI. 

This decision will allow the Pope to begin his return without having to wait for the complete repair of the aircraft originally scheduled for the flight.

The measure will also force the Spanish monarch to reorganize his own return to Madrid, as he will have to use another aircraft to return to the capital after having loaned the Falcon to the Holy Father.

Thus, the apostolic journey of Leo XIV concludes with an unusual image: the Pontiff leaving the papal plane due to a technical fault and finally returning to Rome thanks to the aircraft provided by the head of the Spanish State.

Pope concludes his trip to Spain before 35,000 faithful: "No human being is an island"

More than 35,000 people took part this Friday in the Mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the final public event of his apostolic journey to Spain. 

The celebration, held on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, brought to a close a week of intense pastoral activity in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands, marked by constant references to evangelization, Christian fraternity and the phenomenon of migration.

The Eucharist began almost an hour late and unfolded under intense heat that accompanied the thousands of faithful who had gathered from early morning in the port area.

A celebration marked by Canarian symbolism

Three cayucos placed behind the sanctuary were intended to evoke the migratory reality that had been present throughout the Pontiff’s stay in the archipelago and to serve as a reminder of the thousands of people who arrive in the Canary Islands each year via the Atlantic route.

The vestments worn by Leo XIV also played a prominent role. The chasuble and mitre, specially made for this celebration in workshops in Bergamo, incorporated references to the sea and the volcanic Canarian landscape. These pieces will remain in the diocese as a memento of a visit considered historic for the islands.

The Canarian Church, protagonist of the liturgy

The celebration featured wide participation from the local Church, with readers from various parishes. 

The intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful were led by representatives of different ecclesial and social realities. Among them were immigrants from the Philippines, Guinea-Bissau and Venezuela, as well as pastoral leaders, educators and members of consecrated life.

Around 300 extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, both lay and religious, were mobilized to distribute Communion to those present. The venue also featured fourteen eucharistic tents equipped with tabernacles to facilitate the participation of the thousands of faithful in attendance.

“No human being is an island”

In his homily, Leo XIV presented the Heart of Jesus as “the heart of history” and offered a reflection on the human vocation to encounter and communion.

The full homily follows:

Dear brothers and sisters:

It is a grace to be together on the day when the Heart of Jesus is offered to us to contemplate as the heart of history. I am happy to celebrate the Eucharist with you, giving thanks for the faith and charity of which I have received so many testimonies during this apostolic journey—witnesses that also make this archipelago, so well known for its beauty and its welcome, a place where the Risen Lord goes before us and reveals himself. Before us the sea evokes the infinite, and so does the sky; but above all it is the desire that unites the heart of God to so many human hearts that is infinite—joys and hopes, sorrows and anguish that find an echo in the heart of the Church (cf. Gaudium et spes, 1). No human being is an island; the geographical location of this diocese and the pastoral challenges it faces bear witness that we are born for encounter and that no obstacle, distance, danger or threat can prevent anyone from making their journey. Whether remaining in the same place for an entire lifetime or choosing or being compelled to leave, no one ever stays still. This is the secret of the heart: the intimate call to exodus and to encounter.

Yet the Heart of Jesus reveals to us how not to lose ourselves in a sterile dynamism: “God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him” (1 Jn 4:9). There is life when life is given. Otherwise, one turns in emptiness. Indeed, “as the Council reminds us, the human person is called to communion with God and ‘cannot find fulfilment except through the sincere gift of self’; his deepest vocation is to enter into the Trinitarian movement of love received and shared” (Magnifica humanitas, 48). Pope Francis observed: “Many people experience a profound imbalance that drives them to do things at full speed in order to feel occupied, in a constant hurry that in turn leads them to trample everything around them. This has an impact on the way the environment is treated” (Laudato si’, 225). These words also challenge the tourist vocation of Tenerife, both for the heart of those who decide to spend a holiday here and for those who live and work on the island, in contact with visitors from so many countries of the world. What does the human heart seek? How can its thirst be answered in a way that is not deceptive? How important it is, especially for those guided by the Gospel, not to reduce everything to commerce and profit. “Those who enjoy more and live better each moment are those who stop pecking here and there, always seeking what they do not have, and experience the value of appreciating each person and each thing; they learn to make contact and know how to delight in the simplest things. Thus they are able to reduce unsatisfied needs and lessen weariness and obsession” (ibid., 223). Interpret your vocation to hospitality in this way, dear brothers and sisters.

Today’s Gospel seems to radicalize this challenge and reminds us of the riches of the poor: a paradox that refers directly to the life of Jesus, to his truth, to the path on which he continues to ask us to follow him. In the passage we have heard, he blesses the Father for this: it is to the little ones—who in this context means the least, those whom no one considers capable of thought or speech—that God has revealed himself. He has enriched them with what remains hidden from those surrounded by admiration and success. With the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te I wished to draw attention to that privileged place of the poor in divine Revelation and in the mission of the Church.

It is a mystery that resonates in a very particular way in these islands, at the centre of migratory routes that make them a place of first welcome for brothers and sisters whose journey is generally exposed to untold dangers and violence. Faced with those who speculate on despair, as Christians we can only offer a reflection of the Lord who says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). The greatest grace is to allow ourselves to be evangelized by those we help, to recognize the mysterious wisdom of God written in their very flesh: “Having grown up in extreme precariousness, learning to survive in the most difficult conditions, trusting in God with the certainty that no one else takes them seriously, helping one another in the darkest moments, the poor have learned many things that they keep in the mystery of their hearts. Those of us who have not experienced similar situations, of a life lived on the edge, surely have much to receive from that source of wisdom which is the experience of the poor. Only by comparing our complaints with their sufferings and privations is it possible to receive a reproach that invites us to simplify our lives” (Dilexi te, 102). The Lord, who rebukes and corrects those he loves (cf. Rev 3:19), desires to make our life simple and joyful.

Dear brothers and sisters, thank you for what you are and for what you do, making this island a place where the heart of Christ can be found in the friendly and hospitable face of people and fraternal communities. “We have known the love God has for us and have believed in him” (1 Jn 4:16): may this confession of faith, handed down by the First Letter of the Apostle John, always shine in you and motivate you to prayer and action. Pay attention to adolescents and young people, to the rich and the poor, to residents and guests: all of them need to be known with a gaze that looks beyond appearances and recognizes the depth of their restless hearts, which so often are already oriented, perhaps unconsciously, toward the Kingdom of God and his justice. May it be breathed among you that “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16). This is the heart of the Gospel, the heart of Christ. Whoever immerses himself in him no longer lives for himself. Open this sea of love to all! It is my desire and my prayer for you and for all those you meet on your way.

The end of an intense week

The Mass in Santa Cruz de Tenerife officially closed Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic journey to Spain. Over seven days, the Pontiff visited Madrid, Barcelona, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, holding meetings with young people, priests, authorities, migrants and representatives of various ecclesial and social realities.

After the celebration, the Pope begins his return to Rome, concluding a visit that placed the Canary Islands at the centre of his farewell and that leaves as an image the multitude gathered before the Atlantic to celebrate the Eucharist alongside the Successor of Peter.

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV TO SPAIN (6-12 JUNE 2026) MEETING WITH MIGRANTS

WORDS OF GREETING OF 

HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV

“Las Raíces" Center (Tenerife)

Friday, 12 June 2026

_______________________________

Dear brothers and sisters,

Good morning!

I would like to thank the Minister and the Director of this Center for their kind words.

Today in the Church, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. For Christians, Jesus’ heart symbolizes God’s merciful and infinite love for every human being. In this context, it is providential that we can come together, see one another and, above all, recognize that, no matter where we come from, God’s love knows no borders, makes no distinctions, is given to all and brings us together in unity.

As I look at your faces and listen to your stories, I also think of your hearts — wounded by so many difficulties, yet also comforted by the love you have received from other open, generous and merciful hearts. Christ’s heart suffered and was pierced out of love, and he was also comforted by compassionate people who eased his pain.

Jesus explained the universality of love by using an example of an act of service: a stranger from a foreign town and another religion took pity on a wounded and mistreated man (cf. Lk 10:25–37). Motivated by the love of God, which urges us to heal others’ wounds and to be charitable toward those who suffer, Saint Brother Peter and Saint Joseph of Anchieta set sail from these Canary Islands to preach the Gospel in America, opening new missionary horizons. They too were migrants who ventured into the unknown, carrying faith, hope and charity as their greatest possessions.

In those unknown lands, the holy migrants and missionaries shared what they had and likewise welcomed the new things that were offered to them. I also invite you to share the treasures of your humanity, of your dreams and of your culture, which you have brought to these islands, and to be open to receiving what is offered to you. We must live this exchange responsibly, considering the future generations to whom we wish to bequeath the heritage of a civilization of love. Migration will play an important role in this, as it “can become an opportunity for encounter and mutual enrichment among peoples” (Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, 81).

Dear brothers and sisters, in a sense, all of us are migrants, for we are all pilgrims on our way to our heavenly homeland. Let us help make this journey more humane for everyone by contributing in whatever way we can. In this regard, I am grateful for the collaboration of the government, various institutions and the many men and women of goodwill whose collaboration makes this concrete humanitarian aid possible, restoring hope and giving dignity to so many people.

The name of this reception center, Las Raíces, “the roots,” caught my attention. My predecessor, Pope Francis, who so longed to be with you, liked to use the image of roots to emphasize the importance of remembering our origins, staying united and trusting in the Lord. “For those who trust in the Lord are ‘like a tree planted by water sending out its roots by the stream; it shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green’ (Jer 17:8)” (Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit, 133). May this image of roots also help you to be firmly rooted in the Lord (cf. Col 2:7), so that no storm may drive you away from his presence, which strengthens and gives life.

Dear friends, I carry you in my heart and will remember you in my prayers. May God bless you, your families and all who do good to you. And may the Blessed Virgin Mary, Consolation of Migrants, always accompany and assist you with her maternal protection. Thank you very much.

Pope to priests: "The priest who isolates himself slowly fades away"

On the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a day on which the Church traditionally celebrates the Day for Priestly Sanctification, Pope Leo XIV addressed a message to priests throughout the world, urging them to rediscover the centrality of Christ in their ministry and to live priestly holiness through union with the Heart of Jesus.

The message, released this Friday by the Holy See, offers a profound reflection on priestly identity at a time marked by secularization, internal divisions, and pastoral fatigue affecting many presbyters.

The full message follows:

Dear brother priests:

On the day when the Church contemplates the pierced Heart of her Lord, from which flows an inexhaustible source of peace and unity for all humanity, I address to myself and to all of you the words God spoke to the people of Israel: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Lv 19:2; cf. 1 P 1:16). This divine call spans the centuries and resounds today with power for every believer and, with particular urgency, for us priests. Holiness is not one option among many, nor an abstract ideal; it concerns the very identity of each person who wishes to share in the life of the Risen One.

Holiness and participation in the mystery of Christ

God invites us to share in his own holiness. When he calls us to be holy because he is holy, he shows us the path to follow: to allow ourselves to be shaped according to his Heart. For us, dear brothers, this call is especially radical. The Lord promised: “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jr 3:15). The holiness asked of us is a trusting surrender: allowing ourselves to be transformed by his Holy Spirit. Yet it is precisely here that the great paradox of our priestly life arises: we are called to share in God’s own holiness, yet we carry this treasure in earthen vessels (cf. 2 Co 4:7); we are limited and imperfect, often marked by weaknesses and fatigue, sometimes by wounds. How can a human heart, so vulnerable, respond to so lofty a call? The priest lives this tension, yet he knows where to find peace: in the open side of the Lord Jesus.

A path of union

The union of our heart with the Heart of Christ is not an experience reserved for a chosen few, but a sacramental, eucharistic path lived in daily life. Dear brothers, in Ordination we have been configured to Christ, yet we must continually rekindle within us the gift of grace through the daily celebration of the Eucharist, prayer, meditation on the Word of God, and humble service to our brothers and sisters. We remain united to Christ in all things: in what we do and in what happens to us each day. Holiness, so often sought in vain through isolated efforts, will reveal itself for what it truly is: correspondence to the grace that precedes us, sustains us, and transfigures us. There are, in fact, no watertight compartments in our humanity. Prayer, ministry, relationships, fatigue, joys and failures—even time that seems lost or love that seems wasted—everything becomes a privileged place for the revelation of God and his infinite love.

The priest who possesses an upright, simple, and pure heart is contemplative in action, merciful, faithful in trial, and joyful in self-giving. The world greatly needs shepherds who offer not only words or programs, but the living witness of a reconciled heart, spreading the fragrance of Christ’s holiness. A solid priestly life, configured to the Heart of Jesus, is a credible sign of unity, peace, and mercy. Thus, in a time marked by divisions and fears, we can be builders of peace, witnesses to the tenderness of the Good Shepherd, who knows how to gather the lost and heal the wounded; our zeal is not agitation, but the overflow of a love that “is ecstasy, going out, self-giving, encounter” (Francis, Encyclical Letter Dilexit nos, 28).

The Heart of Christ is the heart of the saints

The response to the vocation to be holy lies not so much in the effort of asceticism and perfection—necessary though it is—as in trusting adherence to the love revealed in the pierced Heart of Jesus. The Apostle John invites us to contemplate the open side of the Crucified (cf. Jn 19:34), where God definitively shows us how he is holy: not in the inaccessible distance of a separate perfection, but in a love that gives itself even to the point of being wounded, and which can therefore become a source of mercy and life. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the supreme image of God’s love: a love that is omnipotent precisely because it is capable of becoming vulnerable, of transforming pain into grace and suffering into hope.

This blessed Heart, then, is the “place” where holiness reveals itself as nearness and tenderness. The holiness of the priest can thus be manifested in humble and courageous closeness, in being for all and with all, keeping the door of the sheepfold open so that many may enter and find food and rest (cf. Jn 10:9). For this reason, we are asked for a relationship with God that does not distance us from others, but draws us closer to all, shaping hearts that are patient, tender, capable of nearness, compassion, and listening. Thus, through the union of our imperfect heart with the pierced Heart of Jesus, our path of holiness is fulfilled. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us (cf. Ga 2:20). Such holiness is not lived in isolation. Cherish priestly fraternity: seek one another out, listen to one another, support one another. The priest who isolates himself slowly fades; the priest who walks with his brothers grows. Saint Augustine reminds us: “How shall we avoid being in darkness? By loving our brothers. How do we prove that we love the brotherhood? By not tearing apart unity and by preserving charity” (Homily on the Second Letter of Saint John to the Parthians II, 3).

Dear priests, renew each day your “here I am” before the pierced Heart of Christ. Give yourselves totally to him, so that you may love your people with the same love with which he loves them. And remember with joy, as the holy Curé of Ars loved to repeat, that “the priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus” (cf. Benedict XVI, Letter for the Convocation of the Year for Priests [16 June 2009]: AAS 101 [2009], 569). This love is the pledge and guarantee that nothing of us will be lost if we surrender and offer all that is ours. I entrust each and every one of you to the Virgin Mary, Mother of priests. She, who kept the mystery of her Son in her heart, teaches us to keep and make beat within us the Heart of Christ, Savior of the world.

12 June 2026, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

LEO PP. XIV

Vatican warns that artificial intelligence can transform tourism, but cannot replace the human encounter

The Dicastery for Evangelization has published a message on the occasion of the 47th World Tourism Day, to be held on September 27, reflecting on the impact of artificial intelligence and digital transformation in the tourism sector, while calling for these technologies to remain at the service of the human person and the common good.

World Tourism Day will address the impact of artificial intelligence

The message, signed by the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, has been published on the occasion of the upcoming World Tourism Day, whose theme this year will be “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.”

The Holy See notes that the technological transformation currently experienced by society is not merely an economic or technical phenomenon, but raises questions related to human dignity, culture, and interpersonal relationships.

For this reason, the document invites reflection on the role that new technologies will play in the future of tourism and on the ethical criteria that should guide their development.

References to the teachings of Leo XIV

Throughout the text, Fisichella cites Pope Leo XIV on several occasions, especially his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which the Pontiff addresses the challenges posed by technological development.

As the document recalls, the Pope has noted that technology can promote education, healthcare, communication, or the care of creation, but it can also generate new forms of exclusion or inequality.

Likewise, Leo XIV has warned of the need to assess the consequences that artificial intelligence may have on the human capacity to access truth, beauty, wonder, and contemplation.

The opportunities offered by digitalization

The message acknowledges that artificial intelligence can bring significant benefits to the tourism sector.

Among these, it mentions the possibility of facilitating access to travel and tourism services for people with disabilities, improving the promotion of the cultural heritage of local communities, and contributing to a more sustainable management of visitor flows.

It also highlights the potential of these tools to reduce the environmental impact associated with tourism and to promote a more balanced distribution of resources.

In this regard, the Dicastery considers that technology can become a useful instrument for promoting inclusion, accessibility, and sustainability when developed according to appropriate ethical criteria.

The risks of tourism dominated by algorithms

Alongside the opportunities, the Vatican identifies various risks associated with the growing digitalization of the sector.

One of these is the possibility that the tourist experience may be conditioned by algorithms that limit the capacity for personal discovery or reduce travel to a consumer product designed according to previously calculated preferences.

The document also warns about the phenomenon of digital exclusion, which can affect those who lack access to new technologies or live in regions with lower connectivity.

Another concern expressed by the Holy See is the massive use of personal data. According to the message, the collection and analysis of information about travelers requires protection mechanisms that guarantee respect for freedom, privacy, and fundamental rights.

For this reason, Fisichella considers it desirable to have clear regulatory frameworks that govern the use of artificial intelligence in this field.

Preserving the human dimension of travel

In the final part of the document, the Dicastery for Evangelization recalls that tourism arises from the human desire to know other peoples, cultures, and realities.

Although it acknowledges the advantages offered by digital tools, it insists that no technological innovation can fully replace the experience of personal encounter, contact with other traditions, or the contemplation of natural and artistic beauty.

For this reason, the message invites institutions, businesses, and pastoral agents linked to tourism to preserve the human, cultural, and spiritual dimension of travel.

The Holy See concludes by noting that artificial intelligence can contribute to transforming tourism in the coming years, but stresses that technological development must always remain at the service of the person and respect the inherent dignity of the human being.

The voices behind the "pull effect": mafias, sexual exploitation and lives on the brink of shipwreck

Far from the romantic image that often accompanies the migration debate, the testimonies given before Leo XIV by Blessing and Tito Villarmea describe a scenario dominated by mafias, exploitation, fear, death and the constant risk of shipwreck. 

Precisely for this reason, the “pull effect” becomes a moral issue that cannot be dismissed with simplistic slogans or those aligned with a political ideology.

From the dream of a better life to slavery

The most harrowing story was Blessing’s, a Nigerian woman who was supposed to share her testimony in person with the Pope, although she was ultimately unable to do so for security reasons.

Blessing was born into a family of eight siblings and knew extreme poverty from childhood. At fourteen she had to start fending for herself. At twenty-two she decided to leave Nigeria. She did not do so because she wanted to emigrate, but because, as she explained, she saw no other way to offer a better future to her two daughters.

What she found along the way was not hope, but a criminal organization specialized in taking advantage of desperate people.

The mafia subjected her to a “juju” ritual used to psychologically control victims and imposed a debt of 25,000 euros that she would have to repay once she reached Europe. 

She remained trapped for six months in miserable conditions, with almost no food and no access to basic hygiene, waiting for the chance to board a boat.

When the time came to cross the sea, she had already seen others die attempting the journey before her.

«I had to choose: live suffering or cross and take my chances. Die trying, or stay and have nothing»

That moment sums up much of the problem. The decision was not between two good options, but between two different forms of despair.

The real beneficiaries

The “pull effect” is often discussed as a simple ideological dispute. 

However, the testimonies heard in Arguineguín show that there is a clear beneficiary of any narrative that turns arrival in Europe into a goal that justifies any sacrifice: the mafias.

Every person who undertakes the journey represents income for criminal organizations that control routes, forge documents, extort migrants and routinely use violence as a working method.

Blessing’s experience is painful proof of this. During her journey she became pregnant by a member of the mafia. Upon arriving in Spain, they took her baby away to force her into prostitution. 

Her body became merchandise and her motherhood an instrument of coercion. For months she lived under a network of sexual exploitation until a police operation rescued her.

Her story reveals how poverty, lack of opportunities and the hope of a better future can become recruitment tools for criminal networks that end up exploiting those they promised to help.

None of this fits the idealized image that often accompanies the migration debate.

What happens when night falls over the Atlantic

If Blessing showed what happens before and after the crossing, Tito Villarmea explained what occurs during it.

A Maritime Rescue captain aboard the Guardamar Urania, he appeared before Leo XIV to describe a reality he knows firsthand. In recent years, together with his team, he has taken part in the rescue of more than 20,000 people.

«It is a figure that hurts and is not forgotten», he confessed.

His words dismantle any romantic view of irregular immigration.

«We all know the image of the Canary Islands by day, but at night it is another reality: rough seas, absolute darkness and fragile boats loaded with lives».

This is not an academic discussion or a theoretical question. It involves overcrowded vessels navigating for hours or days in extreme conditions, with exhausted, injured or dehydrated people, often at the mercy of chance.

Among all the rescues he has led, Villarmea recalled one that was especially moving. After bringing to safety a small boat carrying both injured people and deceased persons, he watched a mother approach someone everyone believed was her teenage son. Once on board, she removed his cap and jacket and placed gold earrings on him.

«It was a girl».

The scene deeply affected him.

«She cried and I cried, because I am the father of two teenagers. They could have been my daughters».

Behind every number are real faces. Behind every small boat are people who have been convinced that it is worth taking extraordinary risks to reach a coast they barely know.

What Arguineguín brought to light

The accounts of Blessing and Tito converge on the same reality. Both show that behind migration routes lies a criminal structure that feeds on human desperation.

One describes the business of trafficking and exploitation. The other witnesses every week the consequences of that business in the middle of the Atlantic.

Blessing’s story shows how a vulnerable woman can become merchandise for criminal organizations that use debt, intimidation and violence to subjugate their victims. 

Tito’s testimony, for its part, reveals the final link in the chain: precarious vessels, nighttime rescues and people risking their lives on one of the most dangerous maritime routes in the world.

Both portray a reality marked by human suffering and by the enormous power acquired by the mafias operating between Africa and Europe.

«Your life belongs to God»

Leo XIV’s response to Blessing recalled an essential truth. «Your life belongs to God and retains a dignity that no one can take from you», the Pontiff told her.

Precisely because every human life possesses inviolable dignity, it is necessary to ask whether everything that indirectly encourages these routes truly serves the good of the most vulnerable people.

The testimonies heard by Leo XIV in Arguineguín deserve careful attention. Because they do not describe a human epic or a story of overcoming. They describe a hell. The hell of a woman turned into a sexual slave by the mafias. The hell of those who board small boats where death is part of the journey. The hell witnessed by those who rescue bodies and survivors in the middle of the night.

If Blessing and Tito revealed anything, it is that these routes represent one of the greatest humanitarian failures of our time. The truly compassionate response does not consist in romanticizing them or resigning ourselves to their existence. 

It consists in fighting the mafias that sustain them, dismantling the incentives that make them possible, and working so that no one is again forced to choose between misery, the sea or slavery.

Because when the protagonists themselves describe suffering, exploitation and death, the conclusion is hard to avoid: we are not facing a route of hope. We are facing a human tragedy that must end.

Pope Leo XIV encourages the Church in the Canary Islands to remain united and rooted in Christ

After his visit to the port of Arguineguín, where he met with entities dedicated to the reception of migrants, Pope Leo XIV traveled this Thursday to the historic center of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to meet with bishops, priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, seminarians, and pastoral agents at the Cathedral of Santa Ana.

Before arriving at the church, the Pontiff rode in the popemobile through the streets of the Vegueta neighborhood, where he was greeted by thousands of people gathered along the route. He then entered the Cathedral of Santa Ana, the main church of the Diocese of the Canary Islands, where he was received by the Bishop of the Canary Islands, Monsignor José Mazuelos Pérez.

Mazuelos warns about secularization

In his words of welcome, the Bishop of the Canary Islands thanked the Holy Father for his presence and highlighted the importance of the visit for the local Church.

“Your presence among us strengthens our faith, confirms our communion with the universal Church, and renews our hope as the people of God who are on pilgrimage in these Atlantic lands,” he affirmed.

During his address, Mazuelos described some of the main pastoral challenges facing the diocese, including the advance of secularization, the weakening of sacramental practice, and the difficulties in transmitting the faith within families, especially among young people.

Nevertheless, the prelate insisted that this situation also represents a call to strengthen the Church’s evangelizing mission and asked the Pope to confirm the faithful of the Canary Islands in faith and hope.

A call to renew missionary impetus

After the proclamation of the Gospel, Claretian priest Santiago Cerrato Cáceres spoke, thanking the Pontiff for his visit and describing it as a stimulus for the Church in the Canary Islands.

The priest referred to the difficulties faced by priests, religious, and committed laypeople in their pastoral work and asked the Holy Father to pray for the local Church so that it may continue to develop its evangelizing mission.

He also highlighted the collaboration existing among the various ecclesial realities of the diocese and evoked the figure of Saint Anthony Mary Claret as a model of missionary zeal for the present time.

A call to unity and charity

In his address, Leo XIV invited those present to remain firmly rooted in Christ, to strengthen ecclesial communion, and to cultivate a spirituality centered on the cross and the Eucharist.

The Pontiff also encouraged the faithful to continue offering others the love they have received from God, especially through welcome, listening, closeness, and care for the most vulnerable.

Below is the complete address of the Holy Father:

Dear brother bishops, dear priests and deacons, religious brothers and sisters, seminarians, brothers and sisters all in Christ Jesus:   

It is a great joy for me to share this meeting with you. Thank you for the warm welcome, for your kind presence and your testimonies, which reflect a living Church, in whose heart resound “the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of our age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted.”   

I come to these islands as Father and brother in the faith: “with you I am a Christian, and for you I am a Bishop.” Each of us has received different gifts and ministries for the building up of the body of Christ, as we have heard in the reading from the Letter to the Ephesians. And this is the Lord’s call that today vibrates anew in our hearts and confirms our vocation and mission: to build the Church together, founded on Christ, the “cornerstone,” to build in goodness, to harmonize our differences, and to work united for the good of all.

I would like us to reflect together on two attitudes of our Christian life that we must keep in mind in order to be “wise architects” in the building of the civilization of love.   

You, native or adoptive Canary Islanders, the People of God on pilgrimage in lands surrounded by the Atlantic, have the privilege of enjoying every day the majestic presence of the sea. It is said that in the eyes of an islander this image—which tastes of homeland and home—remains forever engraved in their pupils, and that it is greatly missed when far away, “inland.” This feeling corresponds to a healthy nostalgia for immensity, for open sky and sea stretching to the horizon, without limits or borders; and to a sensitive heart ready to bid farewell with a tear to those who leave and to receive with open arms those who arrive. In this sense, the sea can sometimes also be synonymous with distance and separation, with challenge and a path to be traveled.   

In this regard, Saint Augustine tells us: “If someone from afar were to glimpse his homeland, but a sea lay between the two: he sees where to go, but does not know the way. So it is with us: we long to reach our stable condition, […] but the sea of this world lies in between […] to teach us the way, the very one we wished to reach came to us. And what did he do? He placed before us the wood by which we might cross the sea. No one can cross the sea of this world unless he is carried by the cross of Christ.” This is the first attitude that guides us to navigate the waters of life and reach our destination, our heavenly homeland: to embrace the cross of Christ.   

Dear brothers and sisters, the saints experienced nostalgia for God and, when facing the storms of existence, knew how to carry Jesus in their boats, trusted in Him, embraced the cross, and thus calmed the waves of uncertainty and fear.   

An example of this in these blessed lands, among many others, is the Venerable Antonio Vicente González, a diocesan priest also known as “the good shepherd of the Canary Islands.” His life, transfigured by divine grace, encourages us to take up the cross of Christ and follow Him, being faithful witnesses of the Gospel in this new time of history, not without turbulence and contradictions, so as to reach the promised goal.   

The first “navigational guideline,” therefore, is to embrace the cross of Christ; and you do so daily, for example, as Cyrenians, accompanying and helping to carry the burdens of so many brothers and sisters crucified by the dramas of life. I thank you for this generous work of charity and mercy.   

I would also like to highlight another attitude: cultivating a eucharistic spirituality. This is related to the ancient tradition preserved in this beautiful cathedral: the shower of flower petals before the Blessed Sacrament that takes place on the feast of the Ascension, as a sign of the spiritual and heavenly goods that the Lord pours out as He ascends into heaven. This gesture of devotion by so many generations throughout time holds a profound meaning: in our pilgrimage, the goal is the encounter with Christ, who is the center of Christian life, toward whom our knees bend in adoration, around whom we gather as one body, and with whom we offer ourselves as “a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.”   

As the Council tells us, the faithful, “by participating in the eucharistic sacrifice, the source and summit of the whole Christian life, offer to God the divine Victim and offer themselves along with It. And so, […] they concretely manifest the unity of the People of God.” Therefore, cultivating a eucharistic spirituality means deepening “a spirituality of ecclesial unity in love.” Let us make our life a response to Jesus’ desire: “That they may all be one […] so that the world may believe.”   

A concrete way to manifest this spirituality of communion is Christian solidarity, because “union with Christ is at the same time union with all the others to whom He gives Himself.” For this reason, I encourage you to continue offering everyone the love that you, in turn, have received from the Lord, a love that becomes nourishment in welcome, in listening, in closeness, and in the care of the most fragile: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”   

Dear Church on pilgrimage in the Canary Islands, following in the wake of holiness of so many men and women who have preceded you, who have offered their lives in communion with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and on the altar, I encourage you to move forward, firmly rooted in Him, to continue navigating with courage in this new time of history. When you encounter difficulties, lift up your gaze and ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to live united in faith, hope, and charity, virtues that “are like three stars shining in the sky of our spiritual life to guide us toward God.”   

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, guide us on our journey, help us to “put out into the deep,” and thus reach the safe harbor of the definitive encounter with her Son Jesus Christ. 

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV TO SPAIN (6-12 JUNE 2026) MEETING WITH BISHOPS, PRIESTS, DEACONS, RELIGIOUS, SEMINARIANS AND PASTORAL WORKERS

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV

Saint Anne's Cathedral (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)

Thursday, 11 June 2026

_______________________________

Dear brother bishops, priests, men and women religious, brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

It is a great joy for me to share this gathering with you. Thank you for your warm welcome, for your kind presence and for your testimonies, which reflect a living Church, in whose heart “the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially those who are poor or afflicted” (Gaudium et Spes, 1) find an echo.

I come to these islands as a father and brother in the faith: “with you I am a Christian, and for you, I am a bishop” (cf. First “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing, 8 May 8 2025). Each of us has received various gifts and ministries for the building up of the body of Christ, as we heard in the reading from the Letter to the Ephesians. And this is the Lord’s call that resonates anew in our hearts today and confirms our vocation and mission: to build the Church together, founded on Christ, the “cornerstone” (cf. 1 Pet 2:6–8), to build on what is good, to harmonize our differences and to work together for the good of all (cf. Magnifica Humanitas, 11–14).

I would like us to reflect together on two attitudes in our Christian life that we must keep in mind in order to be “wise architects” in building the civilization of love (cf. Ibid., 236).

You, whether native Canarians or those who have made the Canary Islands your home, People of God on a pilgrimage through lands surrounded by the Atlantic, have the privilege of enjoying the majestic presence of the sea every day. They say that in the eyes of an islander, the image of the sea — which evokes the taste of home and homeland — remains etched in one’s pupils forever, and that it is sorely missed when one is far away from it, when one is “inland.” This feeling corresponds to a healthy nostalgia for immensity, for the open sky and sea stretching to the horizon, without limits or borders. It is found also in a sensitive heart ready to bid farewell with a tear to those who leave and to welcome with open arms those who arrive. In this sense, the sea can sometimes also be synonymous with distance and separation, with challenge and the journey ahead.

In this regard, St. Augustine tells us: “If someone were to glimpse his homeland from afar, but a sea stood between them: he sees where to go, but does not know the way. So it is with us: we long to reach our final destination, […] but the sea of this world stands in our way […] to show us the way, the One to whom we longed to go came himself. And what did he do? He appointed a tree by which we may cross the sea. No one is able to cross the sea of this world unless they carry the cross of Christ” (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, 2, 2). Embracing the cross of Christ: this is the first attitude that guides us to navigate the waters of life and reach our destination, the heavenly homeland.

Dear brothers and sisters, the saints longed for God, and as they faced the storms of life, they knew how to take Jesus into their boats; they trusted in him, embraced the cross and thus calmed the waves of uncertainty and fear (cf. Mt 8:23-27). An example of this in these blessed lands, among so many others, is the Venerable Antonio Vicente González, a diocesan priest, also known as “the Good Shepherd of the Canary Islands.” His life, transfigured by divine grace, encourages us to take up the cross of Christ and follow him (cf. Mt 16:24), being faithful witnesses to the Gospel in this new chapter of history, not without turbulence and conflict, so that we may thus reach the promised destination (cf. Jn 12:32).

 The first “guiding principle,” therefore, is to take up the cross of Christ. You do this every day, for example, as Good Samaritans, accompanying and helping to carry the burdens of so many brothers and sisters who are crucified by life’s trials. I thank you for this generous work of charity and mercy.

I would also like to highlight another practice: cultivating a Eucharistic spirituality. This is connected to the ancient tradition preserved in this beautiful cathedral: the showering of flower petals before the Blessed Sacrament on the Solemnity of the Ascension, as a sign of the spiritual and heavenly gifts that the Lord pours out as he ascends into heaven. This gesture of devotion, practiced by so many generations over time, has a profound meaning: on our pilgrimage, the goal is the encounter with Christ; he is the center of Christian life, before whom we bow our knees in adoration, around whom we gather to form one body and with whom we offer ourselves as a “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1).

The Council tells us: the faithful, “taking part in the Eucharistic sacrifice, the source and summit of the Christian life, … offer the divine victim to God and themselves along with him. And so it is that, … they manifest in a concrete way that unity of the people of God” (Lumen Gentium, 11). Therefore, cultivating a Eucharistic spirituality means delving deeper into “a spirituality of ecclesial unity in love” (Magnifica Humanitas, 234). Let us make our lives a response to Jesus’ desire: “that they may all be one … so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21).

One concrete way to express this spirituality of communion is Christian solidarity, because “union with Christ is also union with all those to whom he gives himself” (Deus Caritas Est, 14). For this reason, I encourage you to continue offering to everyone the love that you, in turn, have received from the Lord (cf. 1 Jn 4:19) — a love that becomes nourishment through hospitality, listening, closeness and care for the most vulnerable: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Mt 25:35–36).

Dear pilgrim Church in the Canary Islands, following in the footsteps of holiness of so many men and women who have gone before you — who offered their lives in communion with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and at the altar — I encourage you to press on, firmly rooted in him, so that you may continue to navigate with courage through this new era of history. When you encounter difficulties, lift up your gaze and ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to live united in faith, hope and charity — virtues that “are like three stars that rise in the sky of our spiritual life to guide us to God” (Saint John Paul II, Catechesis, 22 November 2000).

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Stella Maris, guide us on our journey, help us to “put out into the deep” (cf. Lk 5:1–11) and thus lead us to the safe harbor of our final encounter with her Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you!

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV TO SPAIN (6-12 JUNE 2026) MEETING WITH ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH MIGRANTS

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV

Port of Arguineguín (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)

Thursday, 11 June 2026

_______________________________

Dear brothers and sisters,

We have just heard one of the most challenging passages in the Gospel. We know that this same chapter also contains a warning that no believer can take lightly (Mt 25:41-45). Today, by the sea, the word of God becomes concrete: here so many wounded lives arrive, stripped of almost everything, but never of their dignity. Here the Gospel pulls us out of our comfortable position as spectators and places before us a brother or a sister who has arrived. It asks us if we have recognized Christ in those who disembark, marked by fear, hunger and violence, after enduring the desert, the night and the sea.

As you can see, I am wearing the ring that is called “the Fisherman’s Ring.” Its very name leads us to the Sea of Galilee, where Christ called Peter and said to him: “From now on you will be catching people” (Lk 5:10). The Church has interpreted that verse as an image of her mission. Yet here and in places like El Hierro, Christ’s command is especially powerful and painful. This island, small in size but great in humanity, has witnessed the arrival of thousands of people, torn from their homelands and entrusted to the fragility of a boat. Here, people are rescued from the sea and lifeless bodies are recovered from the waters. For this reason, the Successor of Peter cannot ignore these docks. The Church cannot ignore these waters or any place where hunger, thirst, violence, fear or exile continue to wound human dignity. Jesus’ disciples cannot dismiss the cries of those who call out in the night.

In biblical language, the sea can symbolize danger, darkness and chaos. In the sea we find the Leviathan, which represents power that devours, and Rahab, a name that evokes the arrogance of the powers that rise up against God and against life (cf. Ps 74:13–14; 89:10–11; Is 27:1; 51:9; Job 26:12). Even today, monsters lurk in these seas: mafias that profit from despair, traffickers who enslave women and children, and those whose indifference allows the poor to be swallowed up by exploitation or forgetfulness.

However, faith is not paralyzed by the power of the sea. We believe in a God who subdues chaos, limits evil and opens up paths where death seems to prevail. The people of Israel experienced this as they crossed the Red Sea to escape slavery and walk toward freedom (cf. Ex 14:21–31). We see this in Christ, who walked on water and, in the face of the storm, uttered a decisive phrase: “Peace! Be still!” (Mk 4:39; cf. Mt 14:25-27). His voice continues to resound against the forces that devour, enslave and discard so many of our brothers and sisters. If Christ commands the sea to be still, the Church cannot remain silent about those who are abandoned to its waters.

Thank you for your testimonies, for reminding us what it means to save lives. Thank you, María, for telling us about the work that Caritas, the parishes and so many people do each day. Your words show us how the conversion of our gaze begins when the migrant ceases to be “just one more,” a mere category or a statistic. Only then can we understand that that little girl could be our daughter, and that those faces could be part of our family. Then, our conscience is left with no excuses. Mercy begins with small gestures, such as sharing a few cookies and a little milk, or offering five loaves and two fish (cf. Mt 14:17-21). The goal is not to solve everything, but to place everything in God’s hands and to be present where people suffer, where resources are insufficient, where there is no common language — but where gestures can still speak. I express heartfelt thanks to all who participate in rescues, in welcoming and in accompanying others, bearing witness that concrete mercy can save and change lives.

Dear Blessing, although you are not here today, your voice is. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Your name means “blessing,” and it reminds us that every human life is a blessing from God. No one can buy, sell, use or discard it, because the image and likeness of the Creator shines forth in every person (cf. Gen 1:27). You told us that you left your country not because you wanted to, but because there was no other choice. Through your words, we hear the drama of so many people who are forced to leave because poverty, war, threats or exploitation closed off all their paths.

I hope that this message reaches you and the many other women who are victims of trafficking and exploitation. If others have put a price on your body, know that God has never ceased to recognize your inestimable worth. If others want to trap you in a painful past, God continues to make a promise for your future. If others treat you like an object, the Church wants to tell you today that you are a daughter, you are a sister, you are a blessing. Your life does not belong to those who harmed you; your body does not belong to those who took advantage of you; your days do not belong to those who wanted to chain you to fear. Your life belongs to God, who has given you a dignity that cannot be taken from you. We want to walk with you until that truth feels stronger than the pain.

Dear migrants, before saying anything else to you, I want to bow before your dignity. You are not just numbers or files. You are people who have left behind families and homes. You have dreams that no one has the right to despise. However, I also want to tell you that your lives must be protected. Do not surrender your lives to those who trade with them. Do not believe those who promise easy paradises in exchange for your body, money, silence or freedom. Those false promises are “siren songs”; they are industries of death.

This tragedy must serve as an appeal to the conscience of the nations of origin of the migrants, which must establish conditions for peace, justice and development. It is also an appeal to the conscience of the transit nations, which are called to protect the vulnerable and not leave them in the hands of criminal networks. It is likewise an appeal to the conscience of Europe, which cannot claim to uphold human dignity while growing accustomed to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic becoming unmarked graves, as well as that of the international community, which is called to effective and persevering cooperation.

The Church, too, must allow herself to be challenged. Welcoming migrants cannot be a secondary matter that is left to a few volunteers. We kneel before the altar to adore Christ present in the Eucharist, from whom we receive the strength and the motivation to live charity; for this reason, we cannot then “pass by” the small boats and rafts, for all service and every commitment spring from prayer and lead back to it (cf. Lk 10:31-32).

From this island, I would like the voices of those who spoke today to reach those who hold significant positions of responsibility — civil authorities, parliaments, governments and international organizations — as well as Christian communities, other religious traditions and all men and women of good will. It is not enough to manage arrivals, distribute statistics, reinforce borders or lament deaths after they have occurred. Every boat that arrives brings a question along with the migrants: what kind of world have we built, if so many brothers and sisters must risk death to seek life?

Human dignity demands legal and safe pathways, rescue and assistance, real cooperation against traffickers, effective protection for victims, serious processes of reception and integration, and policies that allow every person to live with dignity in their own land. While there is a right to seek refuge when life is threatened, there is also the right not to have to migrate: the right to remain in one’s own home without hunger, war, persecution, violence, the land becoming uninhabitable, corruption stealing the bread from the poor or weapons destroying the future of children. We cannot grow accustomed to counting the dead. Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border.

May the God who, in the evening of life, will judge us on our love (cf. John of the Cross, Sayings of Light and Love, 57) grant us the grace to recognize him today in the poor and in foreigners, and free us from viewing the suffering of others as if it did not concern us. May Our Lady of Mount Carmel accompany those who have arrived, console those who have lost their loved ones, sustain those who welcome them and awaken the courage of mercy in all of us.

May history not accuse us of turning the pain of those who suffer into a common sight along our shores. Today, here by the sea, every individual that arrives asks us what remains of our humanity. Sooner or later, it will be known whether we protected life or whether we yielded to indifference. Thank you very much.