Pope Leo XIV Backs Chagos Refugees, Calls Treaty a Victory for the Weak

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday voiced strong support for Chagos Islanders displaced decades ago, declaring their struggle a powerful symbol of the rights of the weak against the ambitions of the powerful.

The pontiff, the first American pope in history, met with a delegation of Chagossian refugees at the Vatican. Around 2,000 islanders were forced from their homes in the 1960s and 70s after Britain allowed the US to build a strategic military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Pope Leo hailed the recent UK-Mauritius treaty, which transfers sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while keeping the base operational under a long-term lease. He called the agreement a “significant victory” in the community’s decades-long fight for justice.

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“The renewed prospect of your return is an encouraging sign and a powerful message to the world: all peoples, even the smallest and weakest, must be respected in their identity and rights,” Leo said in French. He praised the role of Chagossian women in leading a peaceful campaign for return.

Under the treaty, Britain will pay Mauritius £101 million annually (USD 136 million) to lease back the base for at least 99 years. The pact also creates a trust fund for Chagossians and gives Mauritius the freedom to implement resettlement programs — though it stops short of guaranteeing return.

While some islanders remain hopeful, others fear resettlement could be delayed or restricted even under Mauritian control. The Pope urged Mauritian authorities to ensure the displaced regain their homeland and pledged the support of the Catholic Church in easing their resettlement.

The United Nations and the International Court of Justice had earlier declared Britain’s hold over the archipelago unlawful. In 2019, Pope Francis himself urged London to respect the UN’s call and return the islands.

For Chagossians, the Vatican’s continued attention is seen as moral backing in their quest to undo what they describe as a grave injustice of colonial displacement.

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