From Lampedusa, the Pope calls for a long-term approach to migration and a more humane world

During his visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa, Pope Leo XIV appealed to Europe to respond to the issue of migration with a long-term plan, describing this phenomenon as an “epochal challenge” for European societies.

At the start of his visit, the Holy Father prayed at Lampedusa’s cemetery, near the site where migrants who lost their lives at sea are buried, among them a six-month-old baby from Guinea. He then went to the “Gateway to Europe,” the island’s symbolic monument, where he walked alone toward the shore, his eyes fixed on the Mediterranean, in a moment of profound symbolic significance.

While celebrating Mass near the port where thousands of migrants arrive, the Pope said that Europe, because of its geographic position and the broader role it holds, must move beyond a limited crisis-management approach and build sustainable policies. According to him, these policies should ensure the rescue, protection and integration of asylum seekers, as well as support for the development of their countries of origin, so that no one is forced to leave home.

The Holy Father stressed that thousands of people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean and that these victims are the result not only of wrong decisions, but also of inaction. He underlined that poverty, wars, human trafficking and indifference have produced a tragedy that cannot be ignored. “I pray that today’s and tomorrow’s world becomes more humane for everyone,” he said.

The head of the Catholic Church also expressed gratitude to the residents of Lampedusa, volunteers, the coast guard, doctors and all those who over the years have helped migrants, describing their solidarity as a “miracle of compassion.”