The Island of Tenerife is Pope Leo XIV's final stop before heading back home to the Vatican. First opened in 2021, the Las Raíces Reception Center welcomed the pope for a meeting with migrants and workers from the Center, which has already received more than 54,000 migrants and which employs 600 people every day.
There, he had the opportunity to hear several testimonies, including that of this mother who was assisted by the Center.
MIGRANT MOTHER
We come from countries where poverty, violence, war, persecution, and the lack of opportunities forced us to leave. No one leaves their homeland, their family, and their roots of their own free will.
The Pope thanked them for these deeply personal testimonies, but also for their strength and resilience in overcoming the hardships involved in undertaking a migration journey. He also expressed his gratitude, in a speech delivered in French, for the work carried out at Las Raices (“The Roots”).
POPE LEO XIV
The name of this reception center, 'Las Raíces', particularly struck me. My predecessor, the beloved Pope Francis, who so greatly wished to be with you, liked to use the image of roots to highlight the need not to forget our origins, to remain united, and to place our trust in the Lord.
He then headed to Plaza del Cristo for his final meeting, where he heard further migrant testimonies. Mbacke, from Senegal, arrived in the Canary Islands a year and a half ago and was one of those who shared his story.
MBACKE
Migrant from Senegal in the Canary Islands
Tenerife has taught me that brotherhood exists beyond blood ties. Here I have seen that when someone extends a hand without asking for anything in return, fear disappears and hope is born. That is why my commitment today is simple: I want to give back what I have received.
As a closing message, Pope Leo denounced those who engage in and profit from human trafficking.
POPE LEO XIV
To those who organize routes of death, traffic in human beings, confiscate documents, exploit workers, threaten women, deceive families, and turn the suffering of others into a business: stop. Convert your hearts.
To conclude the moving visit, the Peruvian community in Tenerife performed the song 'This Is My Land' as a musical tribute to Pope Leo XIV—who, besides holding U.S. citizenship, is also a Peruvian citizen.
