Pope Leo unusually switched to Spanish as he greeted people in St. Peter's Square after praying the midday Regina Caeli, but he did it to thank the Spaniards in their native tongue for having received the cruise ship with more than 100 passengers exposed to hantavirus.
The ship is anchored offshore near Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where the Pope will be visiting in just over a month.
Pope Leo said:
I would like to thank the people of the Canary Islands for their characteristic hospitality in welcoming the cruise ship “Hondius” and the passengers infected with hantavirus. I look forward to meeting you all next month during my visit to the islands.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is in Tenerife to assist with the major operation to get all of the passengers off the boat and taken to their home countries where they will be quarantined. He praised Spanish authorities for their "solid and effective response" to this outbreak.
The ship left Argentina on April 1. Ten days later, a passenger died of the virus; his wife had also fallen sick and been flown to South Africa, where she later died. Another died on ship May 2.
In Tenerife, specialists are ready for the situation, where a strict isolation facility has been set up.
"We are absolutely ready," chief intensive care doctor Mar Martin told the BBC.
