On the day of the 250th anniversary of the United States, Pope Leo XIV chose to visit Lampedusa, the island that has become a symbol of the migrant emergency in Italy and across Europe. The last time a pope visited Lampedusa was in 2013, when Pope Francis chose the island for his first apostolic journey, signalling from the very start of his pontificate his commitment to the migrant cause.
Immediately after landing, the pope headed to the Cemetery of the Nameless in Cala Pisana to pay tribute and pray at the graves of migrants who died at sea. The graves are marked with crosses made from the wood of boats that sank off the island’s coast.
Pope Leo XIV then made his way to the Porta d’Europa, the symbolic ceramic-and-iron sculpture overlooking the Mediterranean. There, he met a migrant family, then walked through the arch, resting his hand on its right-hand side. The strong wind blew Leo’s skullcap off, and he then stood for a long time gazing out to sea, with a navy ship patrolling the waters off Lampedusa visible on the horizon.
The Pope also received a letter from a child migrant. "Dear Pope, I’m super excited to meet you! Ten years ago my story began here in Lampedusa. I was alone and had lost everything, especially my mum. They tell me I only stopped crying when they gave me a ball made out of paper; from that day the ball has stayed in my heart and I haven’t stopped playing. I really hope that this ball I’m giving you now can reach another child and make them happy just like me. Thank you, Leo," the boy wrote, handing the Pope a football as well.
