Lampedusa, Italy, July 5, 2026 — On a symbolic day that underscores the importance of continued support for people fleeing conflict and disaster, and as global displacement remains at historic highs, Pope Leo XIV meets asylum seekers on Lampedusa, an island that has become a tragic symbol of migration journeys to Europe.
Every day, International Rescue Committee (IRC) teams meet some of the world's most vulnerable people - unaccompanied children, women, and survivors of torture - arriving on Europe's shores exhausted, uncertain, and in need of support. The Pope's visit offers a glimmer of hope and sends a powerful message of solidarity, reaffirming a commitment to stand with and support the world's most vulnerable.
Kandeh Abdourahman, Cultural Mediator with IRC, working at the disembarkation points in Lampedusa, says:
"The first thing we say to newly arrived people, who land on the island completely exhausted, is 'welcome to Lampedusa.' Then we ask, 'how are you?' The first words of welcome make them realise they are now in Italy. That they are finally safe.
"I was one of those thousands who crossed the Mediterranean and landed in Lampedusa in 2015, exhausted and uncertain. The Pope's visit speaks to every one of us - a reminder that our stories are seen, that welcome is not just a word but an act of humanity that can help us reach all 118 million people displaced in the world today.”
The IRC team of roving cultural mediators and protection experts operates in Sicily, Reggio Calabria, and Lampedusa, in support and close coordination with UNHCR teams, offering guidance on rights and asylum procedures to newly arrived individuals at the port, those in transit, and those staying in reception centres in the southern part of the country. The team focuses on identifying specific needs, particularly among women, children, families, presumed trafficking victims, survivors of gender-based violence, persons with disabilities and those who have endured torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment. These individuals are then connected with relevant support services in coordination with UNHCR and local actors.