Rome, Italy, Sep 10, 2013 / 09:32 am
Just two months after paying a visit to immigrants on the Italian island of Lampedusa, Pope Francis visited a group of refugees at a Jesuit-run center in Rome today.
He met at the Church of the Gesù with refugees seeking asylum in Rome, as well as volunteers who help provide them with food, health care, social support and legal aid.
At least 1,000 people gathered outside the Astalli Center, run by the Jesuit Refugee Service, to wait for Pope Francis, who arrived at 3:30 p.m. local time.
He met with Father Giovanni La Manna, president of the Astalli Center, as well as Cardinal Vicar of Rome Agostino Vallini and the Holy See's press office director, Father Federico Lombardi.