El Hierro Island Council criticizes exclusion from official reception for the Pope

The island's presidency regrets not being invited to the official event scheduled to take place in Tenerife.

Facade of an institutional building in the Canary Islands with afternoon light.
IA

Facade of an institutional building in the Canary Islands with afternoon light.

The president of the El Hierro Island Council has expressed his dissatisfaction after not being invited to the official reception for Pope Leo XIV, which will take place soon in Tenerife.

The island's top official described the lack of an invitation to represent the island at this event as unreasonable. He noted that while other council presidents from the eastern islands have been included in the protocol, the El Hierro administration has been left out of the official agenda.
The official linked this exclusion to a perceived lack of attention toward the needs of El Hierro. He highlighted that the island plays a critical role in managing the migration crisis in the Atlantic, serving as one of the most frequent arrival points for precarious vessels.

"The concern that the president of the El Hierro Island Council has regarding the Pope is the same concern that the Pope has regarding the people of El Hierro."

the president of the El Hierro Island Council · President of the Island Council
Arrival figures in El Hierro have been historically high, with over 14,900 people recorded during 2023, including thousands of minors. This reality, according to the island institution, should be a determining factor in the agenda of any high-level visit to the Canary Islands.