Lampedusa, Italy: Pope Leo XIV arrived Saturday on Italy's Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, which has long taken in both arrivals and the dead. During the half-day trip, the first American head of the Catholic Church will visit a cemetery where unidentified migrants are buried, as well as speaking with a migrant family and celebrating mass. 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 centers outside the bloc.

Pope Leo XIV will mark the 250th anniversary of US independence by highlighting the plight of migrants, an area of continuing tension between the papacy and the Trump…

Pope Leo XIV will send a message against remigration with his visit to the migrant stepping stone island of Lampedusa on Saturday, a local bishop said Friday. (ANSA)