Pope Leo XIV consecrated a memorial plaque in honor of his predecessor Pope Francis on the island of Lampedusa, SIR (Servizio Informazione Religiosa) reported.
During his visit to the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa today, Pope Leo XIV consecrated a memorial plaque in honor of his predecessor Pope Francis, whose name will now also bear a key place for arriving migrants, DPA reported, BTA writes.
The previous pier "Molo Favaloro" was officially renamed today to "Molo Papa Francis" in recognition of the late pontiff's dedication to the cause of refugees and migrants.
The pier is an emblematic place for arriving migrants in the central Mediterranean. For years, boats carrying migrants who have survived a dangerous journey by sea have docked here. Some of the vessels reach the shore on their own, while others arrive on rescue ships after being pulled from the sea.
The plaque consecrated by Pope Leo reads: "Molo Papa Francis - a place of arrival, hope and humanity". After the ceremony, the Holy Father met with migrants from the island's reception center, who had come especially for his visit. It is in this center that people are accommodated immediately after they set foot on European soil.
Earlier in the day, the head of the Roman Catholic Church visited the cemetery of Lampedusa, where he paid tribute to those who died trying to cross the Mediterranean, and then laid flowers at the "Gateway to Europe" memorial. Before traveling back to Rome later in the day, he will celebrate mass.
The island of Lampedusa, located between Sicily and Tunisia, with a population of about 6,000 people, has for years been one of the main points of entry to Europe for migrants coming from Africa.
Pope Francis visited Lampedusa in 2013 on his first trip as head of the Roman Catholic Church. Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost, is visiting the island on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of American Independence.
He has repeatedly drawn attention to the plight of migrants, including during his recent visit to the Canary Islands.