Pope chooses migrant-flooded Lampedusa in first trip out of Rome

Pope Francis waves as he leaves after leading the weekly audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican June 26, 2013. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis has chosen the southern Italian island of Lampedusa for his first trip outside Rome, to show solidarity with tens of thousands of refugees who each year brave a perilous journey there in flimsy boats, the Vatican said on Monday.

The small island, Italy's southernmost point, is the conduit for mostly African immigrants fleeing conflict or economic hardship in order to enter the European Union.