Fernando Clavijo bids farewell to Pope Francis: "The Canary Islands will be eternally grateful to you"

The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has stated that "the Canary Islands will be eternally grateful" to Pope Francis, who passed away this Monday, and highlighted that he had expressed his intention to visit the islands in light of the humanitarian drama of migration.

After lamenting his passing, Clavijo emphasized that the Pope "opened doors for us when no one else would," referring to his support for the migration situation in the archipelago.

"I had the opportunity to speak directly with him about the humanitarian drama of migration in the Canary Islands," and he expressed "a deep understanding not only of this humanitarian drama but also of the Canary Islands, even expressing his intention to visit the islands," Fernando Clavijo recalled upon learning of Francis's death.

For that reason, "the Canary Islands will be eternally grateful, and personally, I only have words of gratitude for the one who knew how to see an opportunity and a humanitarian treatment for those fleeing from hunger and death, instead of seeing a problem," he concluded.