On 23 August 2025, Pope Leo XIV received a delegation of Chagossian refugees in the Vatican. They had travelled from Port Louis, Mauritius, and represented some 2,000 islanders who were removed in the late 1960s and early 1970s so that the United States and Britain could construct a vast military base on Diego Garcia.
The Holy Father praised the “determination of the Chagossian people, particularly that of the women, in their peaceful struggle for their rights” and said he was “delighted” at the 22 May 2025 treaty signed by London and Port Louis. He called it a “significant victory” in a long battle to “repair a grave injustice.”
