According to the Vatican, an estimated 250 migrants, refugees and rescue volunteers attended the Mass, which was celebrated at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica.

The Mass July 8 will mark the sixth anniversary of the pope's visit to the southern Italian island of Lampedusa.

The logic of “me first and then the others,” sometimes cited by believers and frequently used by politicians to gain votes and power in European countries, the United States and elsewhere, is not the logic of Christ.

Overwhelmed in the present, we have lost all feel for the future. So let’s say this of eternal life: It is where waiting comes to an end.

The papal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, visited the Greek island of Lesbos, where migrants are being held pending the review of their status. He went to see firsthand what the migrants' living conditions really are and what is being done to assist them.

Refugee advocacy organizations have urged continued support for federal programs such as the U.S. Refugee Admissions Programs as necessary for assisting vulnerable people seeking a better way of life.