For more than 30 years, Dr. Pietro Bartolo has examined more than 350,000 people and performed autopsies on those who died during the journey to Lampedusa, the first place where migrants rescued from the Mediterranean arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One story, he said, has really stuck with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a shipwreck near Malta, a father told Bartolo how he had tried to keep his family alive in the water. As he swam, he held his youngest son against his chest, his wife with one hand, and his three-year-old son with the other. When he realized he no longer had the strength to save everyone, he let go of his oldest son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abIf I had held on for just one more minute, my son would still be here,\u00bb Bartolo recalled the father telling him. Rescue teams arrived moments later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abUnderstand,\u00bb Bartolo said in an interview with Catholic News Service on June 3, \u00abhow terrible it is for a parent to have to choose which child to let go.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him, stories like this explain why Pope Leo XIV visited Lampedusa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Bartolo, who spent decades as a doctor on Lampedusa and is a former member of the European Parliament, these human tragedies explain why Pope Leo chose this small Mediterranean island for one of the most important visits of his pontificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abPeople ask why the pope is coming to Lampedusa,\u00bb Bartolo told CNS. \u00abBecause this is a symbol of solidarity.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the first American pope commemorated the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, he did not do so to celebrate his homeland, but rather at a point of entry for European migrants, praying for the migrants buried in the island\u2019s cemetery, meeting with survivors, and celebrating Mass in a place where tens of thousands of people are fleeing war, persecution, and poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before delivering a single public speech, Pope Leo XIII laid flowers on the graves of migrants who died trying to cross the Mediterranean. He met with a migrant family at the \u00abGate of Europe\u00bb monument, blessed a plaque naming the Favaloro pier in honor of Pope Francis, and later celebrated Mass beneath an image of Our Lady of the Safe Harbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The visit was deliberately intended to evoke Pope Francis\u2019s first trip outside Rome in 2013, when he visited Lampedusa to denounce what he called the \u00abglobalization of indifference.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abI thank the Lord for the opportunity to visit you, following in the footsteps of Pope Francis,\u00bb said Pope Leo XIII in his homily at the Arena sports field in the Salina district of Lampedusa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while he reiterated the emphasis his predecessors had placed on migrants, Pope Leo gave the message his own theological emphasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reflecting on the parable of the Good Samaritan, he said that Lampedusa today finds itself \u00abon a road as dangerous as the one leading down from Jerusalem to Jericho.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abThose who have lost their lives in this sea are victims both of decisions that were made and of decisions that were not made,\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pope praised the fishermen, volunteers, rescue workers, civil authorities, and ordinary residents of the island who have been taking in migrants for years, thanking them for demonstrating \u00abthe miracle of compassion.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abThere is no love for God without love for one\u2019s neighbor,\u00bb he said, \u00aband there is no neighbor unless I reach out to him.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abIndifference toward the common good and corruption in their countries lead to poverty and exclusion,\u00bb said Pope Leo XIII. However, citing his first encyclical, \u00abMagnifica Humanitas,\u00bb he added: \u00abNo one is exempt from responsibility.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pope Leo XIII also urged Europe to go beyond emergency responses, calling for long-term policies capable of \u00abreceiving, protecting, supporting, and integrating migrants,\u00bb while helping developing countries so that \u00abno one is forced to emigrate.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His message spread beyond the borders of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to his homily on July 4, Pope Leo XIII issued a message on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the United States, in which he praised the nation\u2019s founding ideals of liberty and religious freedom, while reminding Americans that immigrants \u00abhave been part of this country\u2019s history since its inception.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abDefending human life also means welcoming, protecting, and helping immigrants,\u00bb he wrote, describing such hospitality \u00abnot only as an act of charity, but also as a recognition of the dignity inherent in every human person.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the first American pope, immigration has been a priority as a matter of human dignity. Pope Leo XIII took advantage of his visit to a migrant entry point to celebrate Immigrants\u00ab Day in the United States, stating that immigrants \u00bbhave been part of this country\u2019s history since its inception.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abWelcoming them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity inherent in every human person.\u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pope Leo XIII stated that the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is not only an invitation to celebrate, but also to reflect on the responsibilities that the sons and daughters of this country have toward one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That message resonates deeply in Lampedusa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Mediterranean Hope\u2019s annual report on the Lampedusa Migration Observatory, nearly 40,000 migrants arrived on the island in 2025, of whom more than 80% had departed from Libya. The observatory documented at least 1,314 deaths along the Central Mediterranean route during that year, although it noted that the actual number is likely higher, as many shipwrecks go unreported. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Bartolo, however, the statistics tell only part of the story. The retired doctor said that performing autopsies on drowned children and families \u00abcompletely changed my life.\u00bb Now, he spends his time traveling throughout Europe, giving talks at schools and universities about what he witnessed during his years at the migrant entry point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remembering the dead has also become the life's work of Tareke Brhane, an Eritrean refugee who crossed the Mediterranean before arriving in Italy in 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After surviving the crossing, Brhane founded the October 3 Committee in the wake of the 2013 shipwreck off the coast of Lampedusa, in which more than 360 people lost their lives. The organization works to identify those who die at sea and restore the identities of victims buried as unidentified migrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abMost of them just have numbers,\u00bb Brhane said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he told CNS, his committee has helped identify approximately 100 bodies and has successfully led a campaign to have Italy designate October 3 as a national day of remembrance for migrants who died trying to reach Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Brhane, Pope Leo\u2019s decision to begin his visit at the cemetery was the most significant gesture of the day. Brhane has dedicated his life to identifying migrants buried without names. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Historically, many bodies recovered from the Mediterranean have been buried with only a case number, since authorities were unable to identify them. The October 3 Committee has worked with forensic experts, Italian authorities, and the victims\u2019 families to change this situation. As he told CNS, there is a huge difference between the graves of local residents and the unmarked graves of migrants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abPeople will talk about the port,\u00bb he said. \u00abBut the real message is that he went to the cemetery first to pray for those who died.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He described Lampedusa as \u00aba place of suffering and a place of hope.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he explained, many immigrants who later become British, Swedish, or Dutch citizens return simply to set foot once again on the island where they first arrived alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abThey say this is where we were reborn,\u00bb Brhane told CNS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conveying a similar message, Mayor Filippo Mannino told the pope during his visit that the island is like a lighthouse that \u00abdoes not judge\u00bb and \u00abdoes not choose whom to illuminate,\u00bb but rather remains lit throughout the night for anyone seeking the shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abNo one is too small to lead the way,\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The visit echoed the Pope\u2019s apostolic trip to Spain in June, where he made some of his strongest statements on migration regarding the Canary Islands, another major entry point for migrants seeking to reach Europe. There, he urged Europeans not to allow tourism to obscure the human suffering experienced along migration routes and encouraged visitors to \u00abhave the courage to think differently,\u00bb stating that a true vacation should lead people to rediscover the meaning of life and solidarity with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pope Leo reiterated this point in Lampedusa, once again using the image of the Good Samaritan to argue that Christian discipleship requires reaching out to those in need rather than \u00abpassing them by.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abHave the courage to think differently,\u00bb the Pope urged those vacationing on the island, encouraging them not to ignore the suffering taking place in the surrounding sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abFrom this \u00bbremote corner of Europe,'\" he said, \"the challenge facing both Europe and the rest of the world can be seen with unusual clarity.\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abAll of this must be done with care, ensuring respect for the dignity of every person,\u00bb the Pope said on July 4. \u00abThis is a task not only for public institutions, but also for civil society as a whole and for the Church.\u00bb.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Durante m\u00e1s de 30 a\u00f1os, el Dr. Pietro Bartolo ha examinado a m\u00e1s de 350.000 personas y ha realizado autopsias a quienes fallecieron durante la traves\u00eda hacia Lampedusa, lugar al que llegaron por primera vez los migrantes rescatados del Mediterr\u00e1neo. Una historia, dijo, se le ha quedado grabada. Tras un naufragio cerca de Malta, un […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2425,"featured_media":63050,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[36,51],"tags":[2647],"class_list":["post-63049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualidad","category-vaticano","tag-vaticano"],"yoast_head":"\n