{"id":7053,"date":"2026-07-06T21:13:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/?p=7053"},"modified":"2026-08-04T21:20:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T21:20:23","slug":"on-july-4-pope-honors-migrants-in-lampedusa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/on-july-4-pope-honors-migrants-in-lampedusa\/","title":{"rendered":"On July 4,\u00a0Pope\u00a0Honors Migrants in\u00a0Lampedusa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By Josephine Peterson, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osvnews.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Catholic News Service<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LAMPEDUSA, Italy (CNS) \u2014 For more than 30 years, Dr. Pietro Bartolo said he has examined more than 350,000 people and performed postmortem examinations on those who died making the crossing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osvnews.com\/residents-on-italian-island-of-lampedusa-tirelessly-help-migrants-cry-out-for-more-resources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lampedusa<\/a>, where migrants rescued from the Mediterranean first arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One story, he said, has stayed with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a shipwreck near Malta, a father told Bartolo how he had tried to keep his family alive in the water. He held his youngest child against his chest, his wife with one hand and his 3-year-old son with the other as he swam. When he realized he no longer had the strength to save everyone, he let go of his older son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c\u2018If I had held on for one more minute, my son would still be here,&#8217;\u201d Bartolo recalled the father telling him. Rescue crews arrived moments later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnderstand,\u201d Bartolo said in an interview with Catholic News Service June 3, \u201chow terrible it is that a father has to choose which child to let go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stories like this, he said, explain why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/06\/feed-people-not-conflicts-says-pope\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pope Leo XIV<\/a> came to Lampedusa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Bartolo, who spent decades as Lampedusa\u2019s physician and former member of the European Parliament, these human tragedies explain why Pope Leo chose this tiny Mediterranean island for one of the defining visits of his pontificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople ask why the pope comes to Lampedusa,\u201d Bartolo told CNS. \u201cBecause this is the icon of solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A call for compassion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the first American pope marked the 250th anniversary of the United States\u2019 Declaration of Independence July 4, he did so not in celebration of his homeland, but on a European migrant entrypoint, praying for migrants buried in the island\u2019s cemetery, meeting survivors and celebrating Mass where tens of thousands of people flee war, persecution and poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before delivering a single public address, Pope Leo laid flowers at the graves of migrants who died trying to cross the Mediterranean. He met a migrant family at the \u201cDoor of Europe\u201d monument, blessed a plaque naming Favaloro Pier after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2025\/04\/a-son-of-immigrants-pope-francis-leaves-legacy-of-migrant-advocacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pope Francis<\/a>, and later celebrated Mass beneath an image of Our Lady of Safe Harbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The visit deliberately echoed Pope Francis\u2019 first journey outside Rome in 2013, when Pope Francis came to Lampedusa to denounce what he called the \u201cglobalization of indifference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to visit you, following in the footsteps of Pope Francis,\u201d Pope Leo said in his homily at the Arena sports field in the Salina district of Lampedusa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But while repeating his predecessors\u2019 focus on migrants, Pope Leo gave the message his own theological emphasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reflecting on the parable of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2022\/07\/the-good-samaritan-a-maryknoll-reflection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Good Samaritan<\/a>, he said Lampedusa today lies \u201calong a path as dangerous as the one that led down from Jerusalem to Jericho.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\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 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pope praised the fishermen, volunteers, rescue workers, civil authorities and ordinary island residents who have welcomed migrants for years, thanking them for demonstrating \u201cthe miracle of compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is no love of God without love of neighbor,\u201d he said, \u201cand there is no neighbor if I do not draw near.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIndifference to the common good and corruption in their countries\u201d generates poverty and exclusion, Pope Leo said. Yet quoting his first encyclical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/leo-xiv\/en\/encyclicals\/documents\/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Magnifica Humanitas,<\/em><\/a> he said, \u201cno one is without responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pope urges recognition of migrants\u2019 dignity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pope Leo also urged Europe to move beyond emergency responses, calling for long-term policies capable of \u201creceiving, protecting, supporting and integrating migrants,\u201d while helping developing countries so that \u201cno one is forced to emigrate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His message extended beyond Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to his July 4 homily, Pope Leo released a message marking the United States\u2019 250th birthday, praising the nation\u2019s founding ideals of liberty and religious freedom while reminding Americans that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/06\/us-bishops-issue-prayer-service-honoring-immigrants-and-enslaved\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">immigrants<\/a> \u201chave formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDefending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants,\u201d he wrote, calling such welcome \u201cnot only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the first U.S. pope, migration has been a priority as a matter of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2025\/02\/pope-to-us-migration-policies-must-respect-human-dignity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">human dignity<\/a>. Pope Leo tied in his trip to the migrant entrypoint on the U.S. holiday, saying immigrants \u201chave formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\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<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pope Leo said the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is not only an invitation to celebrate, \u201cbut also to reflect upon the responsibilities that the sons and daughters of this country <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/06\/world-watch-welcome-the-stranger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bear to one another<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That message resonates deeply on Lampedusa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Mediterranean Hope\u2019s annual report on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediterraneanhope.com\/en\/migration-observatory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Migration Observatory of Lampedusa<\/a>, nearly 40,000 migrants arrived on the island in 2025, with more than 80% departing from Libya. The observatory documented at least 1,314 deaths along the central Mediterranean route during the year, while noting that the actual number is likely higher because many shipwrecks go unrecorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Remembering those who died at sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Bartolo, however, statistics tell only part of the story. The retired physician said conducting postmortem examinations on drowned children and families \u201cturned my life upside down.\u201d The doctor now spends his time traveling across Europe speaking in schools and universities about what he witnessed during his years at the migrant entrypoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remembering the dead has also become the life\u2019s work of Tareke Brhane, an Eritrean refugee who crossed the Mediterranean himself before reaching Italy in 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After surviving the journey, Brhane founded the Committee of Oct. 3 following the 2013 shipwreck off Lampedusa that claimed more than 360 lives. The organization works to identify those who die at sea and return names to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iom.int\/news\/over-180-feared-dead-mediterranean-death-toll-nears-1000-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">victims buried as unknown migrants<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe majority have only numbers,\u201d Brhane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His committee has helped identify roughly 100 bodies and successfully campaigned for Italy to establish Oct. 3 as a national day of remembrance for migrants who died trying to reach Europe, he told CNS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Brhane, Pope Leo\u2019s decision to begin his visit in the cemetery was the day\u2019s most powerful gesture. Brhane has made it one of his life\u2019s missions to identify migrants buried without names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many bodies recovered from the Mediterranean have historically been buried with only a case number because authorities could not establish their identities. The Committee of Oct. 3 has worked with forensic experts, Italian authorities and victims\u2019 families to change that. He told CNS that there is a huge difference in the graves of residents and the unmarked graves of migrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople will talk about the port,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the real message was that he went first to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mTKsXQCPbqU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the cemetery to pray for those who died<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He called Lampedusa \u201ca place of suffering and a place of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The duty of a Good Samaritan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many migrants who later become citizens of Britain, Sweden or the Netherlands return simply to stand once more on the island where they first arrived alive, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey say this is where we were born again,\u201d Brhane told CNS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a similar message, Mayor Filippo Mannino told the pope during his visit that the island is as a beacon that \u201cdoes not judge\u201d and \u201cdoes not choose whom to illuminate,\u201d but remains lit through the night for anyone searching for shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo one is too small to point the way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The visit echoed the pope\u2019s June apostolic journey to Spain, when he devoted some of his strongest remarks on migration to the Canary Islands, another major gateway for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2025\/09\/migrants-are-not-enemies-just-brothers-and-sisters-in-need-pope-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">migrants<\/a> seeking to reach Europe. Speaking there, he urged Europeans not to allow tourism to obscure the human suffering unfolding along migration routes and challenged visitors to \u201chave the courage to think differently,\u201d saying authentic rest should lead people to rediscover the meaning of life and solidarity with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pope Leo repeated that theme in Lampedusa, again using the image of the Good Samaritan to argue that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/06\/being-a-disciple-a-maryknoll-reflection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christian discipleship<\/a> requires drawing near to those in need rather than \u201cpassing by.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHave the courage to think differently,\u201d the pope urged those who vacation on the island, encouraging them not to ignore the suffering unfolding in the surrounding sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From this \u201cfar-flung corner of Europe,\u201d he said, the challenge facing both Europe and the wider world can be seen with unusual clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll of this must be done with vigilance, ensuring respect for the dignity of every person,\u201d the pope said July 4. \u201cThis is a task not only for public institutions but also for civil society as a whole and for the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Featured image: Pope Leo XIV blesses a plaque at the Favaloro Pier in Lampedusa, Italy, and dedicates the pier to Pope Francis during his visit to the island\u2014a key entry point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea\u2014as part of a pastoral trip on July 4, 2026. (OSV News\/Reuters, Remo Casilli)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On an Italian island that offers refuge in a deadly sea, Pope Leo calls for compassion and protection for migrants across the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":7055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_eb_data_table":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1053],"tags":[3075,3076,3079,3077,3078,3080,1840,2929,203,3082,3081,547,701,3083],"class_list":["post-7053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-christian-discipleship","tag-compassion","tag-door-of-europe","tag-dr-pietro-bartolo","tag-good-samaritan","tag-josephine-peterson","tag-lampedusa","tag-magnifica-humanitas","tag-migrants","tag-migration-observatory-of-lampedusa","tag-our-lady-of-safe-harbor","tag-pope-francis","tag-pope-leo-xiv","tag-tareke-brhane"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>On July 4,\u00a0Pope\u00a0Honors Migrants in\u00a0Lampedusa - Maryknoll Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On July 4,\u00a0Pope\u00a0Honors Migrants in\u00a0Lampedusa - Maryknoll Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On an Italian island that offers refuge in a deadly sea, Pope Leo calls for compassion and protection for migrants across the world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/on-july-4-pope-honors-migrants-in-lampedusa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Maryknoll Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-06T21:13:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-04T21:20:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/20260706T0000-POPE-ITALY-LAMPEDUSA-1823015_798x447-e1783362407872.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"782\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"447\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"OSV News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"OSV News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\\\/magazine\\\/on-july-4-pope-honors-migrants-in-lampedusa\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\\\/magazine\\\/on-july-4-pope-honors-migrants-in-lampedusa\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"OSV News\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/78b508897748b14f03af3c709940d12b\"},\"headline\":\"On July 4,\u00a0Pope\u00a0Honors Migrants in\u00a0Lampedusa\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-06T21:13:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-04T21:20:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\\\/magazine\\\/on-july-4-pope-honors-migrants-in-lampedusa\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1516,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\\\/magazine\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\\\/magazine\\\/on-july-4-pope-honors-migrants-in-lampedusa\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\\\/magazine\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/20260706T0000-POPE-ITALY-LAMPEDUSA-1823015_798x447-e1783362407872.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Christian discipleship\",\"compassion\",\"Door of Europe\",\"Dr. Pietro Bartolo\",\"Good Samaritan\",\"Josephine Peterson\",\"Lampedusa\",\"Magnifica Humanitas\",\"migrants\",\"Migration Observatory of Lampedusa\",\"Our Lady of Safe Harbor\",\"Pope Francis\",\"Pope Leo XIV\",\"Tareke Brhane\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\\\/magazine\\\/on-july-4-pope-honors-migrants-in-lampedusa\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\\\/magazine\\\/on-july-4-pope-honors-migrants-in-lampedusa\\\/\",\"name\":\"On July 4,\u00a0Pope\u00a0Honors Migrants in\u00a0Lampedusa - 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