On the plane returning this evening, April 23, from a visit to four countries of Africa, Pope Leo was asked by a Spanish reporter about the issue of immigration. The Pope will visit Spain in June, and one of his stops is the Canary Islands, which is much affected by this issue. The reporter commented, "You know that migration in Spain generates great debate and polarization; even among Catholics there is no clear position."
The Pope answered that this issue affects "many countries, not only Spain, not only Europe, not only the United States; it is a global phenomenon."
But from there, he continued:
So, my answer begins with a question: What is the Global North doing to help the Global South, or those countries where young people today cannot find a future and therefore dream of moving north?
The Pope lamented that "many suffer" and that "the issue of human trafficking is also part of migration."
Africa exploited to benefit others
He echoed a concern also voiced by Pope Francis about Africa: "Africa is often seen by many as a place to extract minerals, to take its wealth for the benefit of other countries."
After Pope Francis' trip to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan in 2023, he also remarked: "I have said several times that in the collective unconscious there is [the idea], 'Africa must be exploited': Enough of this!"
Leo added:
Perhaps globally we should work more to promote greater justice, equality, and development in these African countries so that people do not need to emigrate to other countries, including Spain, and so on.
What are we doing to change things?
The Holy Father affirmed that "personally, I believe that a State has the right to regulate its borders. I am not saying that everyone must be allowed to enter without order, sometimes creating in destination countries situations more unjust than those they left behind."
"But that said," he continued, "I ask myself: What are we doing in richer countries to change the situation in poorer countries? Why can we not try, both through state aid and through the investments of large wealthy companies and multinationals, to change the situation in countries like those we visited on this visit?"
Why can we not try ...
And finally, he insisted that all people must be treated humanely:
And another point I would like to make is that, in any case, they are human beings, and we must treat human beings humanely, not treat them worse than animals, as often happens. It is a very big challenge: a country can say it cannot receive more than a certain number of people, but when people arrive, they are human beings and deserve the respect that belongs to every human being because of their dignity.
