CHAPTER 1 A NEW POPE In In July 2013 Pope Francis took a boat to Lampedusa a small Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea The journey was his first trip outside Rome Italy since becoming pope of the Roman Catholic Church in March Residents of the island greeted him by waving caps and flags A few days before his visit a boat filled with 165 migrants had reached the island They had left their homes in Africa in search of better lives Pope Francis shakes the hands of migrants on the Italian island of Lampedusa 5
Many migrants traveled across the Mediterranean Sea in small boats Over the past decade Lampedusa had become a main entry point into Europe But the route from North Africa to Lampedusa was dangerous Many migrants drowned or died from the cold In fact more than 80 percent of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea happened on the way to the island Pope Francis planned his visit after hearing about the dangers migrants faced He spoke to migrants who survived the trip and paid his 6
respects to those who died He also held Mass the main worship service in the Catholic Church Most of the migrants on the island were Muslims Pope Francis wanted to encourage peace between Catholics who practice Christianity and Muslims who practice Islam Pope Francis’s visit served as a message to the world He urged nations in Europe to help and welcome migrants His visit also sent a message to the Catholic Church It reminded Catholics of their responsibility to care for people in need In the years to come his agenda for change would both inspire and anger the world THINK ABOUT IT Pope Francis used his actions to send a message What is one issue you care about What action could you take to show that 7
