Vatican City, Jun 17, 2016 / 07:29 am
Since 2015, when the refugee crisis reached a fever pitch in Europe, five Syrian families fleeing civil war have found refuge in Italy with the help of the Vatican. As of Thursday, nine more people have been added to that list.
"Following the visit of the Holy Father to the Island of Lesbos, in Greece, when he accompanied three families of refugees back to Rome, a second group of nine refugees, including two Christians, arrived in Rome yesterday," a June 17 communique from the Vatican announced.
The refugees, consisting of six adults and three children, arrived to Rome Thursday. They are all Syrian citizens who had been living in the Kara Tepe camp on Lesbos after making the perilous boat ride from Turkey to the small Greek island.
According to the Vatican communique, the Vatican Police force, called the "Gendarmeria," alongside the Interior Ministry of Greece, the Greek Asylum Service, and the Community of Sant'Egidio, who will provide for their housing, all played a role in getting the families to Rome, and accompanied them from Athens to the Eternal City.