Pope Leo XIV visited the island of Lampedusa on Saturday. As observers noted, Saturday happened to be the 4th of July, when the United States celebrated its 250th birthday.
The pope’s message on the Italian island was that Europe’s geographical location enabled it to provide quick assistance at sea and then receive, protect, and integrate migrants. He urged that walls should not rise on the seas between the shipwrecked and vacationers.
In Lampedusa’s cemetery, he also prayed at the graves of immigrants who lost their lives during the sea crossing, and inaugurated a plaque on the port’s pier in memory of Pope Francis, whose first trip after his election led here in July 2013.
On the island known as one of the southern gates of the Mediterranean migration route, the pontiff also celebrated in front of 4,000 priests, believers, and immigrants.
Leo XIV thanked the residents of Lampedusa, the leaders of its institutions, the coast guard, the priests, and the doctors serving on the island.
The pope also visited the island’s so-called Gate of Europe. Altering the preliminary schedule, the pope not only passed through the installation but also stood on the rocks facing the open sea, where, at one point, the wind blew off his white papal cap.
