VATICAN CITY, DECEMBER 3 – The Vatican announced on Monday that Pope Francis has dispatched an aide to the Greek island of Lesvos to identify 33 asylum-seekers who will be brought to Italy on Wednesday.
Another 10 asylum-seekers will travel from Lesvos to Italy later this month. They will be cared for by the Sant’Egidio community, a Catholic charity. When Pope Francis visited Lesvos in April 2016, he brought three Syrian families back to Italy with him.
The refugees will be hosted by the Holy See, through its Almoner’s Office, and the Comunità di Sant’Egidio Catholic pro-migrant and diplomatic community. When Pope Francis’s travelled to Lesbos in April 2016, he brought back with him three Syrian families to Italy that the Holy See then provided accommodation and support for, while the Comunità di Sant’Egidio was put in charge of their integration. In May 2019, the pope said that he wanted to something similar a gain for families from Afghanistan, Cameroon and Togo.
A note from the Holy See noted that talks had been held with the Italian interior minister and that permission had been granted. (@OnuItalia)