Vatican City, 17 June 2016 – The Holy See Press Office has issued the following communique:

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, has arrived in Rome.

The Vatican Gendarmeria, with the help of the Interior Ministry of Greece, the Greek Asylum Service and the Sant'Egidio Community, accompanied the refugees from Athens to Rome on Thursday. The Sant'Egidio Community will provide for their housing.

The refugees, six adults and three children, are all Syrian citizens who were in the Kara Tepe refugee camp. They had arrived in Lesbos from Turkey."