Around 80 people survived when the boat broke and sank in rough seas near Steccato di Cutro, a tourist resort on the eastern coast of the Calabria region. Authorities estimate that the ship was carrying up to 200 immigrants.
Three suspected traffickers were arrested this week and prosecutors began investigating how emergency services responded to the disaster, following allegations that authorities were slow to react.
“I pray for the many victims of the shipwreck, for their families and for the survivors,” the Pope said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who this week called on European Union leaders to do more to curb illegal immigration, praised the pope’s remarks.
The government “continues to deploy all necessary forces to combat human smugglers and stop deaths at sea,” he said in a Facebook post.