The Pope stated today that “no one can turn their back on those seeking protection and safety,” calling on world leaders to “welcome the victims of persecution” during his Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
Pope Leo XIV asked everyone to “welcome the victims of persecution, so they can live in peace, with dignity, and look to the future with hope,” noting that World Refugee Day was observed on Saturday, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
This convention, the Pope explained, was “created to protect those who are persecuted and forced to leave their land, their home, and their family.”
Leo XIV further expressed his hope that this spirit continues to “enlighten the consciences of world leaders.”
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On Saturday, the Pope traveled to the Italian city of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano to visit the parish of Saints Anthony Abbot and the Italian-American Frances Cabrini, the first saint of the United States and the patron saint of immigrants.
Mother Frances Cabrini, born in the Italian city of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, died on December 22, 1917, in Chicago, the native city of Leo XIV.
“The phenomenon of migration has entered a different phase, certainly more complex, but no less capable of challenging the Church,” stated the Pope, who also visited Pavia on Saturday, home to the tomb of Saint Augustine.
Leo XIV explained that he “inherited and continued the teaching of Pope Francis in the apostolic exhortation Dilexit on love for the poor, which speaks of charity in the form of accompanying migrants.”
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During his recent trip to Spain, he visited Gran Canaria and Tenerife, where he addressed the migration crisis, and on July 4, he will travel to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a major gateway for migrants on the Mediterranean route.
