Pope urges Europe to do more for migrants while visiting gateway island

Pope Leo XIV has called on European leaders to rise to the "momentous challenge" 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 a year.

"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.

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.

His trip comes two weeks after the EU approved tougher migrants rules that allow stricter border controls and broader detention powers.

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.

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.

He also stood at the "Door of Europe" memorial for those who had perished attempting the crossing and spoke to a migrant family.

"From this far-flung corner of Europe on the Mediterranean Sea, one can more clearly perceive the momentous challenge that the phenomenon of migration poses to European societies," the Pope told Catholics on the island.

"Europe 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" while "assisting developing countries so that no one is forced to emigrate", he said.

The island of Lampedusa - which sits 90 miles (145km) off Tunisia's coast - is home to a migrant reception centre that is overcrowded with challenging living conditions.

Those who make the journey often travel in poorly maintained and overcrowded vessels, making sea crossings more perilous for those aboard.

More than 1,400 people have died or gone missing while attempting to cross the ⁠Mediterranean this year, including 28 children, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration.

New migrants, rescue officials, members of aid groups and the Italian Coast Guard were among those to gather to see the Pope.

The Pope "continues to accompany you, support you and encourage you", he told the gathering.

"The pope's visit speaks to every one of us," Kandeh Abdourahman, a migrant who arrived in Lampedusa in 2015, told news agency Reuters.

It was "a reminder that our stories are seen, that welcome is not just a word but an act of humanity", said Abdourahman, now a cultural mediator with the International Rescue Committee.

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 "inhuman".

In a letter addressed to fellow Americans on the 250th anniversary of US independence, the pontiff said the Catholic value of defending life included "welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants".

He recalled how "immigrants' sacrifices and contributions have shaped the nation's history".

"To 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," he wrote.