Pope Leo XIV in Lampedusa Calls on Europe to Protect and Integrate Migrants on Deadly Mediterranean Route

The Catholic Church's first US-born pope, who has clashed with President Donald Trump's administration over its treatment of migrants, chose to mark July 4, the United States' 250th anniversary of independence, at a migration hotspot.

Leo’s visit also comes just two weeks after the European Union’s approval of new migrant rules allowing much broader detention powers and the creation of deportation centres outside the bloc.

The pontiff's trip to the migration frontline of Lampedusa underscored a stark message for Europe and the United States as intolerance and indifference rise.

Pope Leo XIV arrived on Saturday on Italy's Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants who risked the perilous crossing from North Africa, in a symbolic rebuke to the anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from US and EU political factions.