The news of Pope Francis’ death on 21st April 2025, at the age of 88, was received with profound grief by people of all faith and none across the globe. One of his enduring legacies was his unwavering commitment to the fragile and vulnerable, particularly migrants, a cause he championed with words and deeds.
Pope Francis was very passionate about migrants. His passion for migrants and refugees preceded his papacy. Shortly after becoming pope in 2013, he visited the Sicilian Island of Lampedusa, where he met with migrants and celebrated mass with them, denouncing the “globalisation of indifference”. In 2016, he visited the Greek Island of Lesbos, one of the main entry ports of migrants to Europe, where he met with hundreds of migrants and refugees. He held a service to bless those who died on the way attempting to reach Europe, and later took with him 12 Syrian refugees back to Italy. In a second visit to the Island in 2021, Pope Francis urged the world to put an end to the policy he called “shipwreck civilisation.” He further urged “stop constantly shifting responsibility, stop passing off the issue of migration to others.” In 2016, Pope Francis equally visited the US-Mexico border to stand in solidarity with migrants, witnessing firsthand their struggles.
Pope Francis targeted systemic failures. For example, he called U.S. family separations “un-Christian,” and denounced the EU’s authoritarian approach to curb migration. Demonstrating his commitment to the safety of migrants and refugees, he established the Migrants and Refugees Section in the Vatican, under his leadership, to champion their cause.
