Pope Francis will visit Tenerife and Gran Canaria during his Spain trip from June 6-12 to meet migrants and relief organizations at major Atlantic arrival points. NGO Caminando Fronteras reports more than 3,000 deaths in 2025 among those trying to reach the Canaries. The visit will also include stops in Madrid, Montserrat and Barcelona, and a separate July 4 trip to Lampedusa has drawn wide attention.
Pope Francis To Visit Canary Islands, Meet Migrants During Spain Trip
Pope Leo XIV arrives for the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Pope Francis will visit the Canary Islands as part of a trip to Spain from June 6-12, the Vatican said. The pontiff plans to spend the final two days of the visit on Tenerife and Gran Canaria, key Atlantic arrival points for migrants making dangerous crossings from West Africa.
Pope Leo XIV talks with children who have received their First Communion in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Humanitarian Focus
On the islands he will meet migrants who have survived the journey and visit charities and aid groups that assist new arrivals. The NGO Caminando Fronteras reports that more than 3,000 people died in 2025 attempting to reach the Canary Islands in makeshift vessels, underscoring the humanitarian urgency of the pope's visit.
Pope Leo XIV arrives for the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Itinerary Highlights
In Madrid, the pope is scheduled to meet King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and to address audiences at the Royal Palace and the Spanish Parliament. The program also includes a stop in Montserrat, Catalonia, to visit the Benedictine community, and an appearance in Barcelona to inaugurate a new tower of the Sagrada Familia.
Pope Leo XIV arrives for the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Other planned events include a youth prayer vigil, an outdoor Mass at Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles, and a meeting with Spain's Catholic bishops. The Vatican also announced a separate visit to Lampedusa, the Italian island south of Sicily that is a frequent arrival point for migrants, scheduled for July 4 — a timing that has attracted international attention.
Context
The visit arrives as Spain's government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has launched a one-year regularization program that could allow roughly 500,000 migrants to apply for legal residency. The pope, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church, has been increasingly vocal on global humanitarian and political issues in recent months, including during a recent tour of Africa where he decried the concentration of power among "a handful of tyrants."
Reporting: Vatican announcement; Caminando Fronteras data. Editing: Reuters editing conventions.
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