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Pope Leo in Lampedusa
Pope Leo XIV marked July 4 by traveling to Lampedusa, Italy, a migrant frontline island in the Mediterranean, and urged Americans to welcome and protect immigrants as the United States marked the 250th anniversary of its independence.
“Pope Leo XIV marked July 4 with an appeal to Americans to receive immigrants with “compassion and generosity””
In a letter released soon after his arrival, the pope said protecting human life meant “welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants,” whose “hopes, sacrifices and contribution” had formed part of the history of the United States.
He began his visit at the “Door to Europe,” an artwork memorializing “the thousands of migrants who have died or disappeared trying to cross the Mediterranean,” and he later visited the cemetery where migrants are buried.
CNN reported that a gust of wind blew away his white zucchetto as he looked over the sea, while the pope’s message to European leaders focused on plans for “receiving, protecting, supporting and integrating migrants.”
Trump criticism and U.N. data
The Telegraph said Pope Leo XIV drew the ire of Donald Trump after calling the U.S. president’s hardline anti-immigration policies “inhumane,” and it described the pope’s July 4 appeal as urging the world to become “more human.”
In its account of the Lampedusa visit, The Telegraph said the pope told the crowd that “You have seen not just one, but thousands of human beings fall into the hands of robbers,” and it placed the remarks alongside a call for Europe to handle migration “in a comprehensive manner.”
RFI reported that the pope’s letter to Americans insisted that protecting human life means “welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants,” and it said his visit came as European Union approval of new migrant rules allowed broader detention powers and the creation of deportation centres outside the bloc.
RFI also cited UNHCR and IOM figures, saying “A total of 14,464 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea so far this year” and that “More than 1,400 people have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean this year.”
Europe’s response and integration
Al Jazeera said Pope Leo XIV urged Europe to do more to protect and integrate migrants during his visit to Lampedusa, describing the appeal as a call for immediate relief matched with a long-term plan to “receive, protect, support and integrate migrants.”
“receive, protect, support and integrate migrants”
The pope also urged European countries to support development in migrants’ countries of origin so people are not forced to leave, and Al Jazeera said he began by praying at a cemetery and later visited the “Door of Europe” memorial.
DW reported that Leo thanked the fishing and tourism community of 6,000 on Lampedusa for “the solidarity that so many of you have shown,” and it said he called on Europe to integrate immediate relief into a long-term strategic plan.
DW added that “Nearly 60%” of the more than 14,000 people who landed in Italy during the first half of the year arrived in Lampedusa, framing the stakes as the scale of arrivals and the need for European planning around protection and integration.
