{"id":145778,"date":"2026-07-05T09:02:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T09:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/pope-urges-europe-to-do-more-for-migrants-as-he-visits-gateway-island\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T09:02:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T09:02:52","slug":"pope-urges-europe-to-do-more-for-migrants-as-he-visits-gateway-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/pope-urges-europe-to-do-more-for-migrants-as-he-visits-gateway-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope urges Europe to do more for migrants as he visits gateway island"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pope Leo XIV has called on European leaders to rise to the \u201cmomentous challenge\u201d of handling migration as he visited the Italian island of Lampedusa.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The pontiff urged Europe to help new arrivals integrate better and improve conditions in their home countries, during a mass on the island, which receives tens of thousands of migrants a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who have lost their lives in this sea are victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made,\u201d the Pope said.<\/p>\n

Since becoming the head of the Catholic Church in May 2025, the Pope has repeatedly called for greater support for migrants and criticised anti-migrant policies.<\/p>\n

His trip comes two weeks after the EU approved tougher migrants rules that allow stricter border controls and broader detention powers.<\/p>\n

It marks a wider trend of governments hardening their stance on undocumented migration, with many, including the UK and Italy, adopting measures aimed at deterring it.<\/p>\n

The Pope began the trip with a visit to a cemetery on Lampedusa and prayed at the graves of migrants who had died while making the dangerous journey from Africa to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n

He also stood at the \u201cDoor of Europe\u201d memorial for those who had perished attempting the crossing and spoke to a migrant family.<\/p>\n

\u201cEurope is capable of addressing the crisis in this region in a comprehensive manner, integrating immediate relief efforts into a long-term strategic plan capable of receiving, protecting, supporting and integrating migrants\u201d while \u201cassisting developing countries so that no one is forced to emigrate\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

The island of Lampedusa \u2013 which sits 90 miles (145km) off Tunisia\u2019s coast \u2013 is home to a migrant reception centre that is overcrowded with challenging living conditions.<\/p>\n

Those who make the journey often travel in poorly maintained and overcrowded vessels, making sea crossings more perilous for those aboard.<\/p>\n

More than 1,400 people have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the \u2060Mediterranean this year, including 28 children, according to the UN\u2019s International Organization for Migration.<\/p>\n

New migrants, rescue officials, members of aid groups and the Italian Coast Guard were among those to gather to see the Pope.<\/p>\n

The Pope \u201ccontinues to accompany you, support you and encourage you\u201d, he told the gathering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pope\u2019s visit speaks to every one of us,\u201d Kandeh Abdourahman, a migrant who arrived in Lampedusa in 2015, told news agency Reuters.<\/p>\n

It was \u201ca reminder that our stories are seen, that welcome is not just a word but an act of humanity\u201d, said Abdourahman, now a cultural mediator with the International Rescue Committee.<\/p>\n

The Pope has made support for migrants a central theme of his papacy, frequently putting him at odds with US President Donald Trump, whose anti-immigration stance he has called \u201cinhuman\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a letter addressed to fellow Americans on the 250th anniversary of US independence, the pontiff said the Catholic value of defending life included \u201cwelcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants\u201d.<\/p>\n

He recalled how \u201cimmigrants\u2019 sacrifices and contributions have shaped the nation\u2019s history\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo 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,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The post Pope urges Europe to do more for migrants as he visits gateway island<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pope Leo XIV has called on European leaders to rise to the \u201cmomentous challenge\u201d of handling migration as he visited the Italian island of Lampedusa. The pontiff urged Europe to help new arrivals integrate better and improve conditions in their home countries, during a mass on the island, which receives tens of thousands of migrants […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145778\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}