Pope Leo XIV will spend July 4 visiting a Mediterranean island known for migrant crossings into Europe.

Axar.az informs, citing Time Magazine, the Vatican announced this week that the first American leader of the Catholic Church will visit Lampedusa, a small Italian island that has for years served as a gateway for migrants and refugees traveling to Europe from Africa and the Middle East.

The island is a stop on one of the deadliest migration routes in the world, and migrants who arrive there have often made a perilous journey across the sea.

The Vatican announced earlier this month that Pope Leo would not be visiting the U.S. this year, after Vice President J.D. Vance personally delivered an invitation from President Donald Trump during a visit to the Vatican in May last year.

On July 4, 2026, the United States will celebrate its semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.