They are 21 Syrians. The children presented their drawings to Francis, the Pope gave toys. The refugees are guests of the Community of Sant’Egidio
The Pope had lunch on Thursday, August 11, with 21 Syrian refugees who are living in Rome after the same Francis took on the task of bringing them to Italy following his trip to the Greek island of Lesbos on 16 April.
“The Holy Father had lunch today at Casa Santa Marta with a group of 21 Syrian refugees who are now living in Rome, currently hosted by the Community of Sant’Egidio,” the new director of the Vatican Press Office, Greg Burke, announced at the start of the afternoon. “These are the families who arrived in Italy after the visit of Pope Francis to the island of Lesbos in Greece. The first group of refugees arrived with the Pope in the flight on 16 April; the second arrived in mid-June. Both adults and children have had a chance to talk to Pope Francis about the beginning of their lives in Italy. The children gave the Holy Father a collection of their drawings, and the Pope exchanged toys and other gifts with them.”
With the Pope and his Syrian guests, concluded Burke, there were also the deputy Secretary of State, Monsignor Angelo Becciu, Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio, together with other members of the community, the corps commander of the Gendarmerie, Domenico Giani, and two gendarmes who cooperated in the transfer of families from Lesbos to Italy.
On that same 16 April, on the return from Lesbos, Burke’s predecessor, Father Federico Lombardi, made it known that Francis had wanted to make “a gesture of hospitality towards the refugees by accompanying to Rome, with his own plane, three families of refugees from Syria, 12 people in all, including six children.”
Lombardi reported that “all the members of the three families are Muslim. Two families come from Damascus, one from Deir Azzor (in the area occupied by Daesh). Their houses were bombed. The reception and the support of the three families will be borne by the Vatican. The initial hospitality will be handled by the Community of Sant’Egidio.”
The following 17 June, in a subsequent communication, the Vatican Press Office made it known that “a second group of nine refugees, including two Christians, arrived yesterday in Rome” from Athens. “The refugees, six adults and three children, are all Syrian citizens gathered from the refugee camp of Kara Tepe, having landed on the island of Lesbos from Turkey.”
