Pope Leo XIV stood beneath the stark concrete arch of the Door of Europe, the monument on Lampedusa that faces the open sea from which so many migrants never return. After a silent moment of prayer, he traced the structure with his hand, a gesture that set the tone for a visit aimed squarely at the conscience of the United States and the European Union.

The Chicago-born pontiff chose the tiny Italian island, long a landing point for boats from North Africa, to underline his message that migration is a human drama, not a security problem. His trip came soon after the European Union approved tougher rules on detention and external deportation centres, and amid continuing political battles in Washington over border enforcement and asylum.

Leo began his day at Lampedusa’s cemetery, where rows of numbered graves mark the resting place of unidentified migrants pulled from the sea. He prayed in silence, then met local clergy and volunteers who have spent years burying the dead and caring for survivors. Many on the island still recall the 2013 shipwreck that killed more than 360 people, a tragedy that turned Lampedusa into a symbol of both loss and solidarity.

From the cemetery, the pope moved to the Door of Europe, a sculpted gateway by Italian artist Mimmo Paladino dedicated to migrants who never made landfall. There he greeted a migrant family, listening as they described their journey and the relatives they left behind. Witnesses said Leo appeared visibly moved.

The 70-year-old pope has made defence of migrants a defining theme of his papacy, echoing the stance of his predecessor Francis. He has repeatedly condemned mass deportations and denounced what he calls “inhuman” treatment of undocumented people, particularly in the United States, even as he praises communities that open their doors.

Later, Leo was scheduled to visit the island’s main pier, where coastguard and charity vessels disembark those rescued at sea. He was to bless a plaque honouring Pope Francis, who chose Lampedusa for his first trip as pontiff, before celebrating Mass on a sports field.

Humanitarian agencies say the Central Mediterranean remains the world’s deadliest migration route, with more than a thousand people dying or disappearing each year. For Leo, Lampedusa is both frontier and mirror: a place where Europe’s borders meet the consequences of its policies, and where, he insists, the duty to protect must outweigh the impulse to deter.