” “"We must not delude ourselves: immigration is on the rise, not only immigrants have needs and look for a better life, we too need them to be able to keep living like this". This is the comment made to SIR by mgr. Bernardo Álvarez Alfonso, bishop of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, about the latest landings of immigrants. 2,500 people with no papers have landed in just one week, that, along with the people that have landed in the last few days, make up a total of 5,461. Most of them come from the islands of El Hierro and Grand Canary. According to the priest, whose diocese, with 4 large islands, is the one most affected in Spain by the arrival of the "cayucos" the small boasts on which the clandestines arrive "the time has come to think of accepting and integrating these people as citizens with full rights in the normal development of our society". And it’s here that "the Church is called to play a primary role, since Catholicity means to be open and able to welcome everybody". The Bishops mentions the Second Vatican Council to recall that "the people of God is formed by all the peoples on earth". This week, the Spanish Government has taken position to counter the arrival of immigrants without papers, that since the start of the year have been over 20,000 across the country, twice as many as in 2005.” “
