Pope Leo XIV will mark the 250th anniversary of US independence by highlighting the plight of migrants on a visit to the southern Italian island of Lampedusa. The treatment of migrants has been one of the main sources of tension between the papacy and the Trump administration.

US Catholic Church Leaders Weigh In

Two high-profile leaders in the US Catholic church have told CNN that Pope Leo’s July 4 visit sends a message to the US about immigration, with Lampedusa a major entry point to Europe for those embarking across the Mediterranean.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago and a close ally of the pope, said Leo’s visit will be ‘personal’ given that, like many other Americans, the pope is from a family of immigrants. Cupich said Leo’s visit underlines the contribution made by new arrivals in countries.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Ronald Hicks, who was chosen by Pope Leo to lead the Catholic New York archdiocese in December, said the five years he spent in El Salvador had made him more sensitive to new arrivals in the US, giving him ‘direct experience of knowing what it feels like to be on the other side.’

Pope’s Message on Immigration

Pope Leo has criticized the US administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, describing their treatment as ‘inhuman.’ While in Lampedusa, the pope will lay a floral wreath on the tombs of migrants who died at sea, meet a group of migrants and celebrate an open-air Mass.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.