Pope Leo XIV marks US Independence Day on Lampedusa, urging Europe and America to embrace migrants
On the day the United States celebrated its 250th anniversary, the first American pope chose the migrant gateway of Lampedusa to deliver a sharp rebuke to Western immigration policies.
A pilgrimage to the edge of Europe
Pope Leo XIV began his half-day visit to Lampedusa on the morning of July 4 at the island's migrant cemetery. He knelt in prayer among the wooden crosses, some bearing names, many anonymous, and left a wreath of flowers. The gesture echoed the first trip of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who visited the island in 2013. From there, the pope moved to the Porta d'Europa, a monument to those lost at sea, where he met two migrant families. In an unscripted moment, he walked alone onto the rocks, looking out over the Mediterranean as the wind carried away his zucchetto.
- Pope Leo XIV kneels in prayer at the migrant cemetery and leaves a wreath.
- Meets migrant families, including Leonardo, who gives him a football.
- Walks alone onto the rocks, looking out to sea as his zucchetto is blown away.
- Celebrates Mass at the sports field, calling migrant deaths victims of decisions taken and not taken.
- Dines at the US ambassador's residence, blending criticism with engagement.
A child's gift and a message of hope
Among those waiting was Leonardo, an 11-year-old boy who arrived on Lampedusa alone a decade ago after a shipwreck that killed his mother. He handed the pope a football and a letter asking him to give it to another child in need. "I hope this ball can reach another child and make him happy, just like me," Leonardo wrote. The pope, visibly moved, walked with the boy to the monument and later described the encounter as a moment of shared humanity.
A blunt political homily
During Mass at the island's sports field, before a crowd of thousands, Leo XIV delivered his sharpest remarks. "Those who died in this sea are victims both of decisions taken and decisions not taken," he said, linking the tragedy to a global economic system that breeds poverty and exclusion. He called on Europe to move beyond border enforcement and build a strategy that includes welcoming, protecting, and integrating migrants, while also addressing the root causes of forced migration.
For its geographical position and its institutional structure, Europe is able to address the crisis in an organic way, including first aid to welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants, and also working so that no one is forced to emigrate.
A pointed July 4 contrast
The visit fell on the 250th anniversary of US independence. While President Trump prepared a military flyover and record fireworks in Washington, the first American-born pope spent the day mourning migrants and, the previous evening, accepted the Liberty Medal from Philadelphia's National Constitutional Center. In a letter marking the semiquincentennial, he urged the United States to return to its founding ideals of welcoming immigrants. Without naming Trump, Leo's Lampedusa homily and his choice of date sent an unmistakable rebuke to his native country's restrictive policies. Later that evening, the pope dined at the residence of the US ambassador to the Holy See, a gesture of diplomatic engagement alongside his frank criticism.
The mayor's welcome
Lampedusa's mayor, Filippo Mannino, greeted the pope as a "fraternal caress for a wounded land" and presented him with a lighthouse carved from the wood of migrant boats. "The lighthouse does not judge; it shows the way to those seeking a shore," Mannino said, describing the island as an outpost of humanity that refuses to surrender to indifference.
