VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has blessed a wooden cross made from the boats of migrants who have come ashore at the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa.

Francis visited Lampedusa last August and denounced the “globalization of indifference” that greets migrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families. He celebrated Mass that day on an altar made from a boat, and his pastoral staff and chalice were similarly crafted from planks of boat wood.