Pope Leo has issued a letter for America's 250th birthday, urging the United States to continue "welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants." The pontiff, who is the first American-born Pope, also praised the nation's tradition of religious freedom.
In a speech delivered Saturday in Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost port, Pope Leo made a similar appeal to European leaders. He called for a comprehensive approach to immigration that integrates immediate relief efforts with a long-term strategic plan for receiving, protecting, supporting, and integrating migrants. Thousands of migrants, who often pass through Lampedusa on their journeys to European countries, gathered to hear the Pope.
Pope Leo also urged European leaders to improve conditions in migrants' countries of origin to help reduce the flow of migration. His calls for action on immigration are not new. In May of the previous year, speaking to world diplomats and invoking his own immigrant background, he stated that the dignity of migrants must be respected. "My own story is that of a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate," he said at the Vatican.