Pope Leo urges migrant protection, integration on visit to Lampedusa

Pontiff calls connected radical successful Europe and the US to invited and assistance migrants during symbolic travel to Italy’s frontier island.

Pope Leo XIV has urged Europe to bash much to support and integrate migrants during a sojourn to Italy’s Lampedusa island, a cardinal accomplishment constituent for radical crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa.

The pope made the entreaty connected Saturday during a symbolic travel to the island, which has agelong been astatine the centre of Europe’s migration debate.

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Speaking during Mass, the pope described migration arsenic a “momentous challenge” for European societies, but said the continent had the capableness to respond with compassion and planning.

“Europe is susceptible of addressing the situation successful this portion successful a broad manner,” helium said, calling for contiguous alleviation to beryllium matched with a semipermanent program to “receive, protect, enactment and integrate migrants”.

He urged European countries to enactment improvement successful migrants’ countries of origin, saying radical should not beryllium forced to permission due to the fact that of poverty, insecurity oregon conflict.

The pope began his sojourn by praying astatine a cemetery wherever a fig of migrants who died astatine oversea are buried. He aboriginal visited the “Door of Europe” memorial, dedicated to those who hazard their lives trying to scope the continent.

Pope Leo XIV walking done the arch of the monument Door of Europe – Porta d’Europa made by the Italian creator Mimmo Paladino, during a one-day sojourn to Lampedusa island, southbound of Sicily [Vatican Media/AFP]

He besides blessed a plaque renaming a migrant accomplishment pier aft his predecessor Pope Francis, who visited Lampedusa successful 2013 connected his archetypal travel extracurricular Rome aft becoming pontiff.

Lampedusa, person to Tunisia than mainland Italy, has received thousands of radical rescued aft the unsafe cardinal Mediterranean crossing. Many others person died oregon disappeared portion attempting the travel successful overcrowded boats.

The pope’s sojourn came arsenic governments successful Europe and the United States person placed increasing accent connected borderline controls, detention and deportations.

In a abstracted connection to Americans marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, the archetypal US-born pope said defending quality beingness besides meant “welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants”.

More than 14,000 migrants person reached Italy by oversea truthful acold this year, according to the United Nations exile agency, with much than fractional landing successful Lampedusa. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says much than 1,400 radical person died oregon gone missing successful the Mediterranean this year.

The pope said the deaths were the effect of “choices made and unmade”, adding that the representation of those mislaid astatine oversea should measurement connected Europe, alongside the needs of those who past the journey.