COMMENTARY: Pope Leo’s call for hospitality is measured and faithful, but grand gestures can take on meanings beyond their intended message — with consequences that should not be ignored.
The Italian island of Lampedusa, landing site of many migrants from Africa into Europe, may be seen by human-rights advocates as a type of Ellis Island, a sort of safe haven.
For me, the immediate recollection is of three Catholics stabbed to death in the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice. One of the occupational hazards of having worked in counterterrorism is remembering some mundane details such as arrivals, departures, travel, weapons and ideology.
A 21-year-old Tunisian, Brahim Aouissaoui, arrived on Lampedusa in late September 2020. He had to spend two weeks in quarantine because of COVID-19 precautions. He then traveled by train on NGO money with an Italian Red Cross identification card until he arrived in Nice, where he proceeded straight to the basilica, waiting around until it opened before commencing his murder spree.
An unrepentant Aouissaoui was sentenced last year to life in prison without the possibility of parole, an uncommon sentence in France. His defense attorney summed it up best: “Was he aiming toward the
