The five nuns who assist migrants in Lampedusa

They come from different countries, and Pope Francis wanted them: they help from the dock to the local community. Without them, the death toll would be far greater.

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Screenshot 2026 07 06 at 17.10.59

Sister Angela Cimino, a consecrated member of the Dorothean Sisters of Vicenza, has seen a lot on the Lampedusa pier, where migrants fleeing on boats headed for Italy arrive. She has seen children die, she has assisted a mother whose daughter burned to death next to the engine of a boat, she has helped a woman who had given birth just hours before landing, and After giving birth, her travel companions had cut her umbilical cord with their shoelaces.

Sister Angela is one of the five nuns, These are authentic heroines, overseeing the care of migrants disembarked in Lampedusa, often in life-or-death conditions. The others are Sister Paola Giolo, who specializes in making seats from recycled pallets, where disembarked migrants can rest; Sister Ines, who always stands at the front of the pier when migrants disembark, and who comes from the United States; Sister Antonietta Papa, who takes care of the reception and the first comfort items provided to disembarked migrants; and Sister Danila, from Croatia.

The five nuns working at the Favaloro pier in Lampedusa, to whom others are added from time to time and in rotation, are part of an inter-congregational community, created by the will of Pope Francis and managed by theUISG (International Union of Superiors General).

The work of the five nuns is very comprehensive and is divided into several moments:

1. Welcome at the pier

As soon as the migrants disembark from the boats, the nuns are present, along with volunteers and staff. They help to:

  • calm people down after the trip
  • assist those who are hypothermic or in shock
  • provide basic necessities (clothes, drinks, food)

2. Human and psychological support

It is not medical care, but a listening presence:

  • collect fragments of travel stories
  • they support those who have suffered bereavement or trauma
  • they accompany in the most serious cases (including deaths and identification of bodies)

3. Connection with the local community

An important aspect of the project is to act as a “bridge” between the local population, the tourist community and the newly arrived migrants, to avoid dangerous fractures. 

Cover image source: La Voce dei Berici

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