Leo’s Saturday visit to island of migrant crisis

To reach Lampedusa — a strip of sand prized by fishermen and tourists, located approximately 62 miles from the Tunisian coast — Leo XIV will take off from Rome's Ciampino Airport at 7:45 a.m. He will land at 9:00 a.m. There, he will walk in the footsteps of his predecessor, who visited the island 13 years earlier, almost to the day, on July 8, 2013.

Shortly after his election in March 2013, the Argentine pope was alerted to the situation in Lampedusa by Msgr. Francesco Montenegro, then-president of Caritas Italy. The Pope would elevate him to cardinal two years later.

Lampedusa belongs to the Sicilian archdiocese of Agrigento. The local archbishop sent the pontiff reports detailing the harsh living conditions in the migrant reception camps. The death at sea of 40 Eritreans, in particular, affected the Pope “like a thorn in the heart.” It motivated him to choose the destination for his first official trip outside the Vatican to “awaken our consciences.”

This brief trip of only one and a half hours set the tone for Francis' entire pontificate. Himself the son of Italian migrants, he revealed himself as a constant supporter of immigrants. He didn't hesitate to openly criticize the Western world's lack of hospitality. The Pontiff decried those who are “closed amid comforts which have deadened their hearts.”

He also demonstrated his atypical communication style with direct, catchy appeals, notably his condemnation of the “globalization of indifference.” This was accompanied by powerful gestures that were widely covered in the media. One such moment was when he boarded a Coast Guard patrol boat to throw a wreath of flowers into the sea in homage to drowned migrants. He also celebrated Mass in front of the wreckage of makeshift boats.

Thirteen years later, Lampedusa is still a primary gateway for people attempting to reach Europe. Some 41 migrants from the Tunisian coast arrived on the island in three boats on June 30, according to the Italian press agency ANSA.

Leo XIV will remain in Lampedusa for three and a half hours. He will first visit the island's cemetery. There, he will lay flowers on graves of migrants who died at sea and were buried by the local community. He will also stop at the Gateway to Europe monument: a large metal and ceramic structure overlooking the sea that was inaugurated in 2008. Created by Italian artist Mimmo Paladino, it represents mourning for dead migrants and hope of a better life for the living. While there, the Pope will meet a migrant family that recently landed in Lampedusa.

Finally, the Pope will head to the port to inaugurate a dock renamed “Pope Francis Quay.” He will say a few words to a group of migrants cared for by the Red Cross, which administers the island's reception center.

This certainly won't be his first address on the subject. Last month, during a trip to the Canary Islands — another gateway to Europe — the American pope discussed the migration issue in depth. He emphasized the need to consider the phenomenon as a whole, including the imperative of reception and rescue, the scandal of human trafficking, the challenge of integration, and the need for an international response to the current crisis.

In Lampedusa, Leo XIV is expected to address these themes again during the homily of a Mass he will celebrate at 10:30 a.m. in the local stadium. This will be his main address on the island of 6,000 inhabitants. During the ceremony, the statue of the “Madonna di Porto Salvo” (Our Lady of Safe Haven) will be displayed on the platform. This representation of Our Lady is the patroness of Lampedusa and protectress of local fishermen. After the Mass, the Pope will return to the airport for a 12:30 p.m. departure, with his arrival in Rome scheduled for 1:45 p.m.

The Pope's decision to travel on July 4 has caused some controversy in the United States. This year, Independence Day commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the founding act of the United States. President Donald Trump has announced major festivities for the occasion. The Pope's trip seems to some commentators to contrast with the celebrations. Some American media outlets have even interpreted the move as a challenge from the Pontiff to the White House.

A Vatican source consulted by I.MEDIA dismissed this interpretation. They insist that the trip is solely a sign of the Pontiff's attention to the plight of migrants, and is one of several short trips on the Pope's schedule. Just two weeks ago, he was in north Italy to visit the relics of St. Augustine and Mother Cabrini.

However, migration is a source of tension between the Vatican and the Trump administration. When asked about the massive deportations of illegal immigrants in the United States, the Pope seemed to question the American government's actions, urging it to engage in “profound reflection.” In April, this prompted a much more direct attack from President Trump, who accused the Pope of being “weak on crime.”

Although nothing has been announced yet, it wouldn't be surprising if Leo XIV — the first American pontiff in history — also celebrated his country's 250th anniversary on July 4. He could do so by publishing a message addressed to his fellow citizens — or, as Pope Paul VI did for the bicentennial in 1976, by sending a letter to the American bishops.

In that letter, the Italian pope thanked the young nation for its piety and charitable support. “If all Catholics and men of good will were united in ‘those sound moral principles, formulated by your Founding Fathers and enshrined forever in your history,’ what a beacon of light America would be for the world!” he enthusiastically wrote.