Pope Leo XIV reacts after walking trough the arch of the monument Door of Europe – Porta d’Europa made by the italian artist Mimmo Paladino, during a one day visit to Lampedusa island, south of Sicily, on July 4, 2026. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION – TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday pressed Europe to do more to protect and integrate migrants as he visited Italy’s Lampedusa island, a major port of call for those risking the perilous crossing from Africa.
His trip to the migration frontline was a stark message to both EU and US leaders in a period of both growing intolerance and indifference.
The Catholic Church’s first US pope, who has clashed with President Donald Trump’s administration over its treatment of migrants, chose to mark July 4, the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, at a migration hotspot.
Leo’s visit also comes just two weeks after the European Union’s approval of new migrant rules allowing much broader detention powers and the creation of deportation centres outside the bloc.
