Pope Leo XIV Calls on Europe to Provide More Aid to Migrants

During a visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa on Saturday, Pope Leo XIV called on European leaders to do more to help migrants risking their lives while crossing the Mediterranean Sea. He also appealed to the world to be "more human" toward people fleeing war and poverty.

"Those who have lost their lives in this sea are victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made", the pope said during the visit, on an island where more than 7,000 migrants have arrived so far this year.

Pope Leo XIV called on Europe to adopt a comprehensive approach to migration, combining immediate aid with a long-term strategy for the reception, protection, support and integration of migrants. He also emphasized the need to improve conditions in migrants' countries of origin, so that fewer people would feel compelled to leave.

While on Lampedusa, he laid flowers on the graves of migrants who died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea and visited the "Door of Europe" memorial. The Vatican said the timing of the visit was deliberately chosen to coincide with US Independence Day celebrations.

According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 14,464 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea this year, more than half of them on Lampedusa. The International Organization for Migration has recorded more than 1,400 people dead or missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean.

(Reuters, bak)