VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo XIV sent a message of thanks to people on the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa for the welcome they extend to the migrants regularly arriving there.
"There is no justice without compassion, no legitimacy without listening to the pain of others," said the pope in a video message sent to an event on the island.
Lampedusa, just 145 kilometres off the coast of Tunisia, is often the first point of arrival for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe in fragile or overcrowded boats.
The pope thanked all those on the island -- from associations to volunteers, mayors and their administrations -- for their work helping migrants.
"'Thank you' to... all those who, often invisibly, have shown and continue to show a smile and the care of a human face to those who have survived their desperate journey of hope," he said.
"Thousands of faces and names of people now living better lives will never forget your charity."
Pope Leo's immediate predecessor, Francis, chose Lampedusa for his first official visit in July 2013.
On that occasion, he denounced what he called "the globalisation of indifference", and the defence of migrants became a cornerstone of his papacy.
Returning to that theme Friday, Pope Leo said: "As Pope Francis opposed the culture of indifference with the culture of encounter, so I would like us today, together, to start opposing the globalisation of impotence with a culture of reconciliation."