Pope Leo visits Italy's Lampedusa as Europe tightens migration rules

Pope Leo XIV travelled to the Italian island of Lampedusa on Saturday, placing the issue of migration back at the centre of his papacy with a visit to one of Europe's busiest arrival points for migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Africa. The visit came as the European Union implements tougher migration measures and amid his continuing criticism of the treatment of migrants.

The 70-year-old, the Catholic Church's first US-born pope, arrived on July 4, the 250th anniversary of US independence, after publicly clashing with President Donald Trump's administration over its immigration policies.

His visit also followed the European Union's approval, two weeks ago, of new migration rules that expand detention powers and allow the creation of deportation centres outside the bloc.

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Prayers for shipwreck victims

During his half-day visit, Pope prayed at the unmarked graves of migrants who died attempting the Mediterranean crossing before standing alone on Lampedusa's rocky shoreline, overlooking the sea where countless migrant boats have been lost.

He later met a migrant family and walked hand in hand with children and their pregnant mother at the "Door of Europe", a monument dedicated to people who risk their lives in search of a better future.

The pontiff was expected to use the visit to call for safe and legal pathways for migration.

Migration remains central to papacy

Like his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo has made support for migrants a defining theme of his papacy. He has praised those who assist vulnerable people while criticising mass deportations in the United States.

Filippo Ungaro, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said Leo's visit carried an important message.

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", Ungaro told AFP.

Island with a long migration history

Located 90 miles (145 kilometres) off the coast of Tunisia, Lampedusa has long served as a first point of arrival for migrants attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing.

The island is also remembered for one of Europe's deadliest migrant disasters, when more than 360 people died in a shipwreck in 2013. Dozens more have drowned in subsequent years.

Leo has previously praised the compassion shown by the island's 6,000 residents, whose community depends largely on fishing and tourism.

The pope was also scheduled to visit the pier where migrants rescued by the coastguard and charity rescue ships are brought ashore. He was due to bless a plaque dedicated to Pope Francis, who chose Lampedusa for his first papal visit after his election in 2013, before celebrating Mass at a sports field.

Vanda Mainardi, 65, who travelled from northern Italy to see the pope, said, "Lampedusa is a place of particular significance... We are here to testify to its commitment to welcome those seeking a better place (to live)."

Mediterranean remains world's deadliest migration route

Lampedusa is the second European migration hotspot visited by Leo after his trip to the Canary Islands last month, where he criticised human traffickers.

He has repeatedly opposed measures aimed at curbing undocumented migration and has previously described the US administration's treatment of immigrants as "inhuman".

In a speech on Friday marking America's 250th anniversary, Leo also called for "moderation" in US public discourse and highlighted the role that "successive waves of immigrants" had played in shaping the country.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Central Mediterranean crossing from North Africa remains the world's deadliest migration route.

The IOM estimates that around 1,330 people died or went missing on the route last year.

Charity rescue organisations operating in the region have repeatedly accused EU authorities of failing to do enough to prevent migrant deaths at sea.

UNHCR figures show that more than 14,000 people arrived in Italy during the first six months of the year, with most departing from Libya. Nearly 60 per cent of those arrivals landed in Lampedusa.

While arrivals remain significant, they are still well below the levels seen during the 2011 Arab Spring, when maritime border controls collapsed and tens of thousands of migrants reached the island within months.