“So many victims, and among them so many mothers and children, cry out from the depths of Mare Nostrum not only to heaven, but also to our hearts. Thanks be to God, there are also thousands of faces and names—people who today are living a better life and who will never forget your charity.” (Pope Leo XIV)

On Saturday, July 4, Pope Leo XIV will make a pastoral visit to Lampedusa. Sr. Antonietta Papa, coordinator of the Migrants Sicily–Lampedusa Project, shared with us what this gesture means for her and for the communities on the island.

“In Lampedusa we are part of a migrant network that includes the entire UISG migrant network on the island. The sisters, who belong to different congregations, live and serve together as an intercongregational community. At the moment there are three sisters on the island.

Cardinal Montenegro called these sisters to be a bridge between the island, its inhabitants, and the migrants, because the local population has also endured many hardships. Migrants arrive at Favarolo Pier, and the Coast Guard always informs us when a landing takes place. We work together with the many other workers who are present at the dock.

For us, what matters most is simply being present—being there at the dock when the boats arrive, when our migrant brothers and sisters come ashore, especially when they bear the wounds of the torture they have suffered. Our presence there is meant to be a sign of God's fatherly and motherly love, without distinction.

Pope Leo is coming to Lampedusa only a short time after the beginning of his pontificate, on July 4. What does this mean for us? It is wonderful! I believe this visit is meant to emphasize one thing: I come to Lampedusa to show, to say, to make it clear that I stand with migrants. This is extremely important, especially because it was not so long ago that Pope Francis visited the island in 2013. We were not yet present on the island at that time. In fact, our presence here today is the fruit of Pope Francis' appeal when he asked: 'Are there no sisters on this island?'

Many of the migrants who arrive are catechists, leaders of Christian communities, and members of vibrant and deeply faith-filled Churches. If they are welcomed, they can truly become missionaries".