July 4, 2026, 10:49July 4, 2026, 10:49
During his visit to the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, Pope Leo XIV blessed a memorial plaque for his predecessor Francis, after whom a central arrival point for Mediterranean migrants will be named in the future. The pier previously called Molo Favaloro will now be called Molo Papa Francesco. This step is intended to commemorate the late Pope’s commitment to refugees.
Pope Leo in Lampedusa.Image: keystone
The pier is one of the most emblematic arrival points for migrants in the central Mediterranean. For years, people who have survived the dangerous sea crossing have been going ashore on the approximately 150 meter long jetty. Either the boats reach it under their own power or relief ships bring people there who have been picked up in the sea.
Pope Francis in 2013.Image: keystone
Pope met several migrants from the hotspot
Leo blessed the plaque with the inscription: “Molo Papa Francesco – a place of arrival, hope and humanity”. He then paused briefly and greeted migrants who, according to media reports, were being brought from the island’s reception center, the so-called hotspot, to the pier for the Pope’s visit. Migrants who set foot on European soil for the first time at the pier are taken there immediately after their arrival.
Earlier, the head of the Catholic Church visited the Lampedusa cemetery, where he remembered the people who died at sea. He then visited the Porta d’Europa monument. He celebrates mass in the morning before flying back to Rome at midday. (dab/sda/dpa)