By Joshua McElwee
ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT, June 11 (Reuters) - Pope Leo set off on Thursday for the final leg of his visit to Spain, flying from Barcelona to the Canary Islands, where he will meet migrants who have braved dangerous Atlantic waters as he urges the world to treat immigrants more humanely.
The stop in the Spanish archipelago off the western coast of Africa is a centrepiece of the pope's week-long tour of Spain, in which he has also warned that escalating conflicts have pushed the world
into a profound crisis.
Juan Carlos Lorenzo, coordinator of the Spanish Commission for Refugees in the Canary Islands, told Reuters that Leo's visit to the Canaries, where the pope will meet with around 1,000 migrants on Friday, is a "significant milestone."
"It will serve as a strong affirmation of the defense of human rights, respect, and the dignity that all people deserve, regardless of their origin," said Lorenzo.
Leo was due to land on Gran Canaria, one of the main islands, around 10:50 a.m. (0950 GMT). On arrival, he will meet with several groups that help recently arrived migrants before laying flowers at a memorial to migrants lost at sea.
More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Canary Islands, according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras.
Leo, who has spoken forcefully against the direction of global leadership in recent months, told the Spanish parliament on Monday that a lack of help for the world's migrants was challenging "the ethical foundation of the international order".
In contrast to most of Europe, Spain has adopted a more open stance on migrants, introducing a programme to grant residency to more than half a million undocumented people.
The initiative, however, has drawn criticism from far-right leaders in Spain and across the continent, and the country is struggling with the slow pace of granting legal status to thousands in limbo.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Additional reporting by Corina Pons; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
