JULY 4, 2026
Pope Leo XIV travels to Lampedusa on July 4 to pray for migrants who died crossing the Mediterranean
Pope Leo XIV spent the Fourth of July on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, praying at a migrant cemetery and celebrating Mass to honor the tens of thousands of people who have died attempting to reach Europe. Lampedusa, a small island closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, is the main entry point into Europe for migrants crossing by boat from Libya or Tunisia. The visit followed a similar trip Pope Francis made to Lampedusa in July 2013.
On a day the United States marked the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, Pope Leo XIV traveled to Lampedusa to draw attention to the ongoing deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean. He laid a wreath of yellow and white flowers at a cemetery where the graves are marked by crosses made from the splintered wood of shipwrecked boats, met with migrants at the port, and walked alone onto the island's rocky jetty before celebrating a solemn Mass.
In his homily, Leo thanked the island's residents for the "miracle of compassion" they have shown migrants and urged European leaders to address migration comprehensively — combining immediate relief with long-term strategies to receive, protect, support, and integrate migrants, while also developing home countries "so no one is forced to migrate." He preached wearing vestments decorated with images of waves. "Here you have seen not just one, but thousands of human beings fallen into the hands of robbers who have taken everything from them," he said.
In a letter sent to Americans on the July 4 anniversary, Leo wrote that protecting the unborn and all human life also means "welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning." He added: "To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person."