On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV urged Europe to do more to protect and integrate migrants during his visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, an important port of call for those risking the perilous sea crossing from Africa.

His trip to the front lines of the migration crisis sent a clear message to EU and U.S. leaders at a time of rising intolerance and indifference. The first American pope of the Catholic Church, who has clashed with President Donald Trump’s administration over the treatment of migrants, chose to celebrate July 4—the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence—at a gathering of immigrants.

Leontas’s visit comes just two weeks after the European Union approved new rules for immigrants that allow for much broader detention powers and the creation ofoutside the Union.

“From this remote corner of Europe on the Mediterranean Sea, one can more clearly grasp the colossal challenge that the phenomenon of migration poses to European societies,” Leon told crowds of the faithful. However, “Europe is capable of addressing the crisis—in this region—in a comprehensive manner, by integrating immediate relief efforts into a long-term strategic plan capable of welcoming, protecting, supporting, and integrating migrants,” he added. It must do so “while at the same time helping developing countries so that no one is forced to migrate,” he continued.

The 70-year-old Pope began his visit by praying at the unmarked graves of shipwreck victims. He then stood alone on the island’s rocky shore, buffeted by the wind as he gazed out at the sea, where countless migrant boats have been lost to the waves at the border between Africa and Europe. Leon spoke with a family of migrants before taking the children by the hand and standing alongside their pregnant mother at the “Gate of Europe,” a monument dedicated to people who risk everything in search of a better life.

The Pope thanked the fishing and tourism community of 6,000 people “for the solidarity that so many of you have shown,” as he put it. He also paid tribute to those who have died during the crossing, saying “We feel their presence, which calls upon us no less than that of those who have arrived in need of attention and assistance.”

In 2013, more than 360 people died in the island’s worst shipwreck, and dozens more have drowned in the years since. The Pope also visited the port where people rescued at sea are brought to safety, and blessed a plaque dedicated to Pope Francis —who chose Lampedusa for his first trip after his election in 2013.

Leo’s presence “sends a clear message at a time when the global political debate on migration is often framed around borders and deterrence rather than protection and shared responsibility,” said Filippo Ugaro, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, to the French Press Agency.

The world’s deadliest route

The central Mediterranean route from North Africa is the deadliest migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration. Approximately 1,330 people died or are missing after attempting the crossing last year, according to the IOM. More than 14,000 people arrived in Italy during the first six months of the year, most of whom departed from Libya, according to the UN refugee agency. Nearly 60% of them arrived on Lampedusa.

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Source: KYPE