Pope Leo XIV on Sunday voiced concern over a chaotic migrant surge into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta and called for solutions through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa. “I am following with concern the alarming situation in Ceuta, praying to God that, through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, solutions may be found to bring peace, stability and justice,” the pope said after reciting the Angelus. I am following with concern the alarming situation in Ceuta, praying to God that, through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, solutions may be found to bring peace, stability and justice. — Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) August 2, 2026Tens of thousands of people, mostly young Moroccan men, crossed into the Spanish city of about 85,000 residents in late July, overwhelming border controls. Our Lady of Africa is a Catholic title for the Virgin Mary, linked to a 19th-century basilica shrine in Algiers, Algeria, that serves as a center of Marian devotion in North Africa.