Overview

• In a Sept. 12 video to the Gesti dell’Accoglienza gathering on Lampedusa, Pope Leo XIV praised the island’s long record of welcoming people who arrive by sea.
• He called for replacing what he termed a “globalisation of impotence” with a “culture of reconciliation,” echoing Pope Francis’s earlier warning about a “globalisation of indifference.”
• “There is no justice without compassion,” he said, thanking associations, volunteers, mayors, priests, doctors and security forces who assist new arrivals.
• He acknowledged fatigue after years of repeated emergencies and urged unity and perseverance, adding that he hopes to greet the community in person soon.
• The appeal comes as dangerous crossings continue, with seven people lost at sea and 41 brought to Lampedusa earlier this month, and 2,573 Mediterranean deaths recorded in 2024 by the IOM.