Pope Leo XIV visits Italy’s Lampedusa, urges Europe to do more to protect and integrate migrants

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing AFP, Pope Leo XIV visited Italy’s Lampedusa island and urged Europe to take more steps to protect migrants and help them integrate into local communities. The visit came two weeks after the European Union approved new migration rules that expand detention powers and allow return centers to be set up outside the EU. Lianhe Zaobao reported that Leo, the first American pope, traveled to Lampedusa on July 4, when the US marked the 250th anniversary of Independence Day, drawing attention given his past disputes with the Trump administration over immigration. Days before the trip, US Vice President JD Vance publicly criticized the Vatican’s stance on migration as “disturbing,” and while he had invited the pope to the White House during a May visit last year, Leo has not accepted. The report said Trump administration insiders had hoped the pope would attend July 4 celebrations, but the US was not included in Leo’s 2026 travel schedule. After praying for unidentified victims of shipwrecks, the pope visited a cemetery with unnamed graves of migrants who died crossing the Mediterranean, and later spoke with a migrant family at the Porta d’Europa monument. He praised those who help vulnerable groups and condemned mass deportations of migrants in the US. A UNHCR spokesperson said political debate on migration often focuses on borders and deterrence rather than protection and shared responsibility, adding that the pope’s visit sent a clear message.