Pope Leo XIV to migrants in Tenerife: ‘I carry you in my heart’

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Leo XIV reminded migrants at the Las Raíces Center in Tenerife that he carries them in his heart and will remember them in his prayers.

After listening to testimonies of those present, the Holy Father expressed his closeness to them and all migrants.

The Holy Father recalled that today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, explaining that for Christians, Jesus’ heart symbolizes God’s merciful and infinite love for every human being.

“In this context,” the Holy Father said, “it is providential that we can come together, see one another and, above all, recognize that, no matter where we come from, God’s love knows no borders, makes no distinctions, is given to all and brings us together in unity.”

‘As I look at your faces, I think of your hearts’

The Pope went on to recognize their difficulties.

“As I look at your faces and listen to your stories,” he said, “I also think of your hearts — wounded by so many difficulties, yet also comforted by the love you have received from other open, generous and merciful hearts.”

He recalled that Christ’s heart suffered and was pierced out of love, but He was also comforted by compassionate people who eased His pain.

Pope Leo XIV speaking to migrants in Tenerife   (@Vatican Media)

Jesus understands you

Pope Leo explained the universality of love by pointing to the Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a stranger from a foreign town and a different religion took pity on a wounded and mistreated man.

The Pope also recalled that, motivated by the love of God, which urges us to heal others’ wounds and show charity to those who suffer, Saint Brother Peter and Saint Joseph of Anchieta set sail from the Canary Islands to preach the Gospel in America, opening new missionary horizons.

They too, he noted, were migrants who ventured into the unknown, carrying faith, hope and charity as their greatest possessions.

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In those unfamiliar lands, Pope Leo said, the “holy migrants and missionaries” shared what they had while also welcoming the new gifts offered to them.

Share the treasures of your humanity

“I also,” Pope Leo encouraged, “invite you to share the treasures of your humanity, of your dreams and of your culture, which you have brought to these islands, and to be open to receiving what is offered to you.”

The Holy Father stressed that this exchange must be lived “responsibly,” with an eye toward “the future generations to whom we wish to bequeath the heritage of a civilization of love.”

In this regard, Pope Leo observed that migration can play an important role, since it “can become an opportunity for encounter and mutual enrichment among peoples.”

The Pope reminded those present “that, in a sense, all of us are migrants, for we are all pilgrims on our way to our heavenly homeland.”

Need to make the journey more humane

He encouraged everyone to help make that journey more humane by contributing in whatever way they can.

The Holy Father also expressed his gratitude to those in government, various institutions and the many men and women of goodwill whose collaboration helps make this concrete humanitarian aid possible, restoring hope and giving dignity to so many people.

May no ‘storm’ drive you away from the Lord’s presence

Pope Leo said that the name of the reception center, Las Raíces, “the roots,” caught his attention, recalling that the late Pope Francis, “who so longed to be with you,” liked to use the image of roots to emphasize the importance of remembering our origins, staying united and trusting in the Lord.

The Holy Father recalled that Pope Francis had written in his Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit that those who trust in the Lord are “like a tree planted by water sending out its roots by the stream; it shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green.”

Remain rooted in the Lord

Invoking that same image, Pope Leo prayed that those present might remain firmly rooted in the Lord, “so that no storm may drive you away from His presence, which strengthens and gives life.”

“Dear friends, I carry you in my heart and will remember you in my prayers,” he said.

The Pope concluded by praying that God would bless them, their families and all who do good to them, and that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Consolation of Migrants, would always accompany and assist them with her maternal protection.