Showing posts with label SPAIN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SPAIN. Show all posts

Friday, August 14, 2026

The Pope calls for protection and welcome for migrant and refugee minors: "Every child possesses infinite dignity"


The Pope calls for protection and welcome for migrant and refugee minors: "Every child possesses infinite dignity"


GRAFCAN5123. LA LAGUNA (TENERIFE), 12/06/2026.- El papa León XIV saluda a varios niños durante su visita este viernes al centro de primera acogida 'Las Raíces' de Tenerife. EFE/ Ramón De La Rocha

by INFOVATICANA | August 14, 2026


Pope Leo XIV has focused his message for the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on migrant and refugee minors, which the Church will celebrate on September 27 under the theme “Even one of these little ones.” The Pontiff warns of the special vulnerability of children affected by war, poverty, violence, trafficking, exploitation, and forced displacement, and calls for action both in countries of origin, to combat the causes that force them to leave, and in transit and destination countries, where he urges the guarantee of their protection and welcome.

In the message, dated August 11 and published this Friday by the Holy See, Leo XIV insists that “every child, every human being, possesses infinite dignity” and urges Christian communities to integrate migrants and refugees “as full members of the ecclesial family.” The Pope also calls on civil institutions to promote family reunification and avoid traumatic separations, and maintains that the debate must shift from “the mere management of migratory flows” to the protection of human rights. Among the fundamental rights of minors, he explicitly mentions “life, education, and a standard of living that allows them to grow and develop fully.”

Below is the full message of Leo XIV:

Dear brothers and sisters:

Year after year, the World Day of Migrants and Refugees invites us to focus our attention on different aspects of the complex migratory phenomenon. In this 112th World Day, the theme “Even one of these little ones” calls us to pay attention to minors directly affected by the experience of migration and flight, to concern for them, and to the Lord’s promise that whoever “welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (Mk 9:37).

Saturday, August 01, 2026

Friday, July 31, 2026

Over 1,500 Migrants SWARM Into Spain During Chaotic Mass Border Crossing

New York Post

Jul 30, 2026 

Thousands of migrants streamed into the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, prompting local officials to call on Spain to declare a national emergency and send the army to restore the frontier.

Spain’s interior ministry said it would guarantee the safety of citizens and the integrity of the nation’s border, but that the government could not declare a national emergency over migration concerns.

“The situation is absolute chaos,” said Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain’s Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, who police the border. “It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing,” he said, adding that the border had “totally collapsed.”

Read more at https://nypost.com/2026/07/30/world-n...


Sunday, May 10, 2026

Passengers disembark hantavirus-stricken cruise ship in Spain’s Canary Islands

  

LIVE: Passengers disembark hantavirus-stricken cruise ship in Spain’s Canary Islands



Associated Press

Live from the port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife, Spain, where a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship with more than 140 passengers and crew on board has arrived. Health officials plan careful evacuations of passengers and some of the crew while the ship will remain at anchor without docking. 



Thursday, March 05, 2026

Meet Pedro Sánchez, Europe’s most vocal critic of Trump’s attacks on Iran




Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a session of parliament in Madrid, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)


By JOSEPH WILSON
Updated 12:14 PM EST, March 5, 2026

Leer en español

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s Pedro Sánchez has once again emerged as Europe’s most consistently vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, drawing his ire for refusing to allow the American military to stage operations for its attacks on Iran from Spanish military bases.

Trump lashed out at the Spanish prime minister on Tuesday, saying he would “ cut off all trade with Spain " in retaliation for the affront. The spat intensified the next day when Spain’s foreign minister contradicted a claim by the White House press secretary that Spain had heard Trump’s message “loud and clear” and was cooperating with the U.S. military.

While denouncing the repressive government in Tehran, Sánchez said he would not back a war that he said was an unjustified assault.

“We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sánchez said, using the slogan “No to the war” in a speech this week.

The tussle over the Spanish military bases is likely more a diplomatic question than one of military consequence. The U.S. has bases across Europe and the Middle East, and other European countries have agreed to cooperate.

Madrid and Washington have had stable, friendly and mostly low-key relations for decades, starting in the 20th century when the U.S. began sharing military bases with Spain when the latter was still under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

Sánchez's government exported to Iran 6 million euros in technology for military or nuclear use



Pedro Sánchez and Iranian authorities


porEditorial Team14 de enero de 2026, 12:48
Argentina

These are data from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, from the second half of 2018 to the first half of 2024

Since the arrival of the socialist Pedro Sánchez to the Presidency of the Government in mid-2018, Spain authorized exports of material considered "dual use" to the Islamic regime of Iran for an amount close to six million euros.

This can be seen in the official data published by the Secretariat of State for Trade, which is part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, corresponding to the period between the second half of 2018 and the first half of 2024, the latest available report.

According to that official information, exports of this type of material, destined for both the Iranian public and private sectors, began to be recorded after the motion of no confidence against Partido Popular that brought the PSOE leader to Moncloa. In the second half of 2018 alone, the total exported value reached 2,912,281 euros, marking the beginning of a series of commercial operations that continued in the following years.


Regularisation of migrants in Spain: ‘Every person is an end in themselves'




A man walks the beach in Las Palmas, Spain, a week after arriving from Gambia (AFP or licensors)
World

Regularisation of migrants in Spain: ‘Every person is an end in themselves'

Amaya Valcárcel, International Advocacy Advisor at Jesuit Refugee Service, speaks to Vatican News about the Spanish government’s recent decision to grant legal residency to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants.


By Joseph Tulloch

Last month, the Spanish cabinet approved a decree granting legal residency to hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants.

At a time when deportation and detention dominate discussions on migration elsewhere, it was a striking choice.

In Spain, irregular migrants had lived “for years in the shadows,” said Amaya Valcárcel, International Advocacy Advisor at Jesuit Refugee Service. For the estimated 500,000 to one million affected, regularisation means “recognition of their civil existence” and “a step toward legal security.”

Speaking to Vatican News via email, Valcárcel, who is Spanish, emphasised that irregular migrants carry out “indispensable” work in Spain, in sectors such as agriculture, hospitality, construction and domestic work. However, without access to formal job contracts or safety nets, they live “under constant risk”.