The Pope, the Migrants, and a Holiday with a Message!
Pope Leo XIV placed the first saint of the United States, Frances Cabrini, at the center of attention on Saturday and in doing so made a clear direction of his pontificate visible. During his visit to Sant’Angelo Lodigiano near Milan, he reflected on the nun who, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, accompanied thousands of migrants, founded schools, built hospitals, and supported people who arrived in their new homeland with little more than hope for a new beginning. At her grave, Leo did not speak only about history. He asked what Cabrini would do today if she could see the world of 2026. People still leave their homes because of war, poverty, or lack of opportunity. For Leo, the answer appears to lie in the same spirit that defined Cabrini: to understand help not as an exception, but as a calling. He especially encouraged young people to engage with her writings, travel journals, and life.
That Leo explicitly referred to Pope Francis was hardly accidental. He pointed out that Francis, as the son of Italian immigrants, made support for migrants a fixed part of his pontificate. Leo is visibly continuing that course. Just days ago, he traveled to the Canary Islands and spoke there about reception and integration. His next step carries additional symbolism: on July 4, American Independence Day, he will travel to Lampedusa, the island that for years has become a symbol of migration across the Mediterranean and which Francis deliberately chose in 2013 as his first destination outside Rome.
Before visiting Cabrini’s birthplace, Leo also stopped in Pavia at the tomb of Augustine, the Doctor of the Church to whom his order traces its roots. There he spoke about another issue that clearly concerns him: the declining religious attachment of many people in Europe. Fewer and fewer Italians regularly attend Mass or marry in the Church. Leo called on people not to treat faith as habit, but as something that must regain meaning in their own lives. Augustine, born in present day Algeria and later central to Western thought, remains an example of this. Not through loudness, but through the search for one’s own conscience.
One Photo, One War, and Suddenly an Open Dispute
A passing remark turned into an open conflict between Washington and Rome within hours. Donald Trump escalated matters on Saturday and publicly attacked Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni once again. He claimed that she had repeatedly asked him for a joint photo during the G7 summit in France. Earlier, he had already said in an interview that Meloni had practically begged him for one. Rome reacted unusually directly and called the portrayal entirely fabricated.
Read also our article: Trump Wants to Be Begged, Italy Does Not Beg
Meloni responded directly and without diplomatic detours. The constant attacks were pointless and without cause. Her popularity depended neither on Trump nor on personal closeness to him, but on whether she defended Italian interests. That was exactly what she had done. As for her approval ratings, she said Trump should focus on his own. But behind the dispute, it was no longer about photos. Trump linked his criticism to Italy’s conduct during the Iran war. He accused Rome of not helping the United States enough and again returned to his old criticism of NATO. He was especially irritated that Italy had not simply granted American bombers access to Italian runways for operations toward the Middle East.
In fact, Italy had already decided in March not to allow American operations through a base in Sicily without parliamentary approval. The government referred to constitutional limits and domestic opposition to direct involvement in the war. Meloni repeatedly stated that Italian infrastructure would not be opened for offensive operations by simple request. While Washington and Tehran now have a first agreement to end the war, Trump simultaneously claims that Meloni wants friendly relations again. A summit photo has suddenly become a debate about alliance loyalty, military limits, and how far European partners should follow American demands in future conflicts.
The Paint Peels Off, and the President Arrests the Curious
For the country’s two hundred fiftieth anniversary, Trump had the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial renovated, more than fourteen million dollars, lined in American flag blue so that the water would reflect the Washington Monument better than the algae green of its predecessors. After the unveiling, the blue turned green again within days. Workers poured chemicals into it to kill algae, and then the blue lining at the bottom began to peel away. On Friday evening, Trump wrote about serious problems with vandalism, saying that three days earlier the grass outside had been destroyed and the newly installed inner surface damaged.
Instead of saying the work had failed, Trump announced on Saturday without evidence that the Park Police had arrested several people for damaging the great Reflecting “Poll”, a typo he later corrected. The authorities responsible for the National Mall, the Park Police and the National Park Service, along with the Interior Department, remained silent. Whoever did something like this, he asked, these were serious crimes against monuments and could mean years in prison. The only named detainee is David Hearn, sixty-seven, from Bethesda, a former Olympic canoeist. During a sixty-four mile bike ride, he stopped at the pool and reached in to feel the peeling coating. He briefly touched a piece still hanging at the side and let go when a park worker told him to. For that, the National Guard and Park Police detained him for five hours before releasing him Friday evening. He said he was simply a curious citizen and only wanted to know what it felt like, very rubbery.
Next month he must appear in court and is looking for a lawyer. Even if someone had peeled paint from the edge, that would explain neither the green water nor the blue coating coming off the bottom. Trump insists something sinister is happening, the same as the chemicals someone allegedly used on the National Mall, where one week earlier the numbers “86 47” had been found carved into the grass and interpreted by authorities as a possible threat against the forty-seventh president. Police from Oklahoma City now patrol the peeling edges, sworn in for the celebrations, while park workers pump out the water. The pool was meant to reflect the monument. What appears instead is a president who would rather have a curious cyclist detained than admit his paint does not hold. Impeachment is no longer a matter of political rhetoric. It is the only thing left to protect America and the world from this madness.
The Call Europe Learned About Later
In Brussels, discussions focused on Ukraine, sanctions, and the coming months. At the same time, something else was already happening, quieter, smaller, and apparently without broad coordination. According to reports from Finland, a large part of the European Council learned only afterward that António Costa’s office had already reached out toward Moscow. The trigger was neither a summit meeting nor an official round of negotiations. According to several sources, the Chief of Staff of the President of the European Council spoke by phone with a foreign policy adviser from Vladimir Putin’s circle. The goal was reportedly to open a diplomatic channel. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo later stated that he himself only learned about it afterward. In his impression, many other members of the European Council were in the same position. The contact became known not through a joint statement but after reporting surfaced. Only afterward was the issue reportedly discussed among EU ambassadors. That caused frustration in parts of the European Union. Several voices argued that such a step should have been coordinated in advance. One diplomat reportedly called the approach a serious mistake.
Even at the summit itself, reactions remained divided. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs openly questioned the value of new communication channels as long as Russia showed no willingness for real talks. Orpo himself avoided open criticism. He said he understood the objections but also saw value in not shutting communication completely. Costa assured him that no negotiations had taken place during the call. Costa later defended the decision publicly. Europe, he argued, must support Ukraine not only politically and economically but also maintain direct access to information and avoid relying entirely on the narratives of others. Why exactly this channel was opened now, more than four years after the war began, he did not explain.
Macron and Sánchez Draw a Line Against Europe’s Deportation Plans
In Brussels these days, the debate was not about whether Europe should return people without legal residence rights. The dispute began elsewhere. Nineteen member states demanded that the new European mechanism for deportation centers outside the European Union be implemented as quickly as possible. France and Spain opposed it. Germany did not sign the declaration either. Emmanuel Macron made clear that France supports faster and more effective returns. His objection targets the outsourcing itself. Sending people to countries where they never lived and that would accept them in exchange for financial compensation, he considers neither practical nor politically convincing. He openly said that he has not yet seen such a model that actually works. For him, this raises not only implementation questions but also the question of how far Europe should go with its own principles.
Pedro Sánchez formulated a similar position, but more directly. Such centers are, in his view, useless. They would cost money, solve no problems, and at the same time damage relationships with countries of origin and transit, precisely those countries Europe must work with in the long term. The background is a new European framework that, once finalized, would allow people to be sent to third countries if immediate return to their country of origin is not possible. For example because states refuse to take back their nationals or because they would face persecution, torture, or other serious harm there. In the future, this could include countries with which the affected person had no previous connection.
Human rights organizations warn about the consequences. In their assessment, people could in some cases be removed from the European Union even while legal remedies remain pending. An appeal alone would not automatically stop deportation. There is also concern that people could remain in such facilities for long periods or later be sent onward to countries where they again face danger. Macron and Sánchez are not rejecting returns. They are asking whether Europe is ultimately moving people out of sight without answering where they legally and practically belong.
Japan Raises the Price of Entry and Visas Suddenly Become Up to Five Times More Expensive After 48 Years
Beginning July 1, Japan will increase its visa fees, and on a scale the country has not seen in almost half a century. The government approved the first adjustment in 48 years and justified the move with rising administrative costs and a growing number of foreign nationals in the country. A single entry visa will increase from 3,000 to 15,000 yen. That corresponds to a jump from about 18 euros to around 92 euros. Multiple entry visas will rise from 6,000 to 30,000 yen, from about 37 euros to roughly 184 euros. The new fees apply to all applications submitted from July 1 onward.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi explained that the previous rates had remained virtually unchanged since 1978. During that time, inflation, exchange rates, and increased administrative demands fundamentally changed the situation. The government nevertheless says it does not expect noticeable consequences for inbound tourism. The decision does not stand alone. Just last month, a law was passed giving authorities significantly more flexibility regarding visa and residency fees. In the future, fees in certain areas may increase several times over. The upper limit for changes of residency status or extensions was raised substantially. Procedures related to permanent residence are also expected to become significantly more expensive. Plans already exist to increase costs further for certain procedures by the end of March 2027.
The government points to a trend visible in Japan for years. By the end of 2025, according to official figures, around 4.13 million foreign nationals lived in the country, more than ever before. The additional revenue is intended for administration, language support, and programs related to the growing number of foreign residents. At the same time, measures against unauthorized residency are to be expanded. Tokyo also points out that comparable fees in countries such as the United States or Germany are already significantly higher today. For visitors and applicants, that changes little: anyone coming to Japan from July onward will pay considerably more than only a few weeks ago.
