Pope Leo slams Europe for treating migrants like ‘numbers or files’ – POLITICO

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday slammed European governments for their “indifference” to the plight of migrants during his visit to the Spanish island of Gran Canaria.

Speaking from the port of Arguineguín, where thousands of African migrants spent the early days of the Covid pandemic confined to a dock without access to adequate food or shelter, Leo called for authorities to show greater compassion for those who “risk death to seek life.”

“It is not enough to manage arrivals, distribute statistics, reinforce borders or lament deaths after they have occurred,” he said, addressing an audience that included migrants. “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.”