Pope to celebrate Mass for migrants on anniversary of Lampedusa visit

Source: Vatican Media

Next Monday, 8 July, Pope Francis will celebrate a Holy Mass for Migrants in St Peter's Basilica, to mark the sixth anniversary of his visit to the tiny island of Lampedusa, off the coast of Sicily.

A statement from the Holy See Press Office reads: "Around 250 people will participate in the celebration, among whom will be migrants, refugees and those who are dedicated to saving their lives.

"Taking part in the Mass, presided over by the Pope at the Altar of the Chair of St Peter, will be only those persons invited by the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, to whom the Holy Father has entrusted the organization of the event."

While Vatican Media will provide a live broadcast of the Mass, press won;t be going. Pope Francis has said that he would like the Mass to be a a time to remember how many have lost their lives fleeing war and misery, and a time to encourage those who strive day after day to sustain, accompany and welcome migrants and refugees.

Soon after his election in March 2019, Pope Francis dedicated his first official trip outside Rome to migrants and refugees, visiting the Italian island of Lampedusa on July 8, 2013. Lampedusa is one of the main entry points into Europe for poor and desperate refugees and migrants who set out from North Africa, risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean in overcrowded and unsafe vessels and small boats.

During that visit Pope Francis prayed for the numerous illegal migrants who drowned trying to reach the shores of Europe, and threw a wreath of flowers into the sea before presiding over an open-air Mass.