Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited Italy’s Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, in a stark message to US and EU leaders. The Catholic Church’s first US pope, who has clashed with the administration of President Donald Trump over its treatment of migrants, is marking July 4, the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, on a migration frontline. … After praying at the unmarked graves of shipwreck victims, the 70-year-old stood alone on the island’s rocky shoreline, buffeted by the wind as he looked out to sea, where countless migrant boats have been lost to the waves. He spoke to a migrant family before taking the children by the hand and standing along with their pregnant mother at the ‘Door of Europe’, a monument dedicated to people who risk everything in search of a better life.” (07/04/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260704-pope-defends-migrants-at-mediterranean-island-frontier