June 2026, my wife Ann and I had a life changing experience as we traveling to La Laguna, Tenerife in the Canary Islands and participating in the “Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home” symposium.
We saw the world premiere of “Traveling to the Land of the White People” movie recounting Omar Ousman’s 7,000-mile journey on foot from Ghana through Sarah desert, and across the Mediterranean Sea met Spain as a teenager. He is an author of numerous books. Omar is married with children. Ann and I were honored and blessed to spend time with him.
Prior to the actual symposium, we had the opportunity to meet with Pope Leo twice. We were 8 rows on the stage where he was speaking, and my letter was delivered to him. My letter expressed the blessing and responsibility of meeting him, and his great responsibility when the Holy Spirit called you as the “Vicar of Christ on Earth. Our world is plagued by denial of human dignity leading to violence, war, and the politics of raw power. The common good is ignored and our common home is being destroyed.”
Finally, I delivered a presentation “Welcoming the Stranger: Building Bridges to Community.”