The Bishop of Sigüenza-Guadalajara and chairman of the episcopal Commission for Migrations, the Right Rev. José Sánchez, has urged the government, in a letter this week, to take the necessary measures to prevent other deaths of immigrants off the Spanish coasts. The bishop referred in particular to the tragic incident last week when 80 immigrants of African origin lost their lives at sea off the coast of the Canary Islands, due to the sinking of the caique on which they were travelling. Bishop Sánchez, in his letter, says he feels mingled “impotence, compassion and anger when faced by sad and tragic news” like this. He underlines that “the main cause of migration” is linked to the “huge disparity in the distribution of the goods of the earth, work and development” and laments the lack of any “real will to take the necessary steps” to eliminate illegal migrations. He also declares that “we must continue to make a serious appeal to governments, both here and abroad, so that they do more than they are doing, correct possible errors, make good shortcomings, attack the evil at its root and mitigate so much suffering and death”.
