St. Egidio Community brings 51 Syrian refugees to Rome
By Kielce Gussie
Fifty-one refugees from Syria arrived at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport from Beirut on Tuesday. The Community of St. Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, and the Waldensian Table worked with the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affiars to bring the group to Italy.
Some of the refugees were living in vulnerable housing in Beirut and Saida in southern Lebanon, while others were residing in camps in the Bekaa Valley, an area that has been directly affected by the ongoing conflict.
The group consists of families, including a number of single mothers with children, who will relocate and live in various regions in Italy.
Through the Humanitarian Corridors initiative, the families will receive aid in adjusting to life in the country with Italian language classes, and, once they receive refugee status, assistance in entering the workforce.
Humanitarian Corridors
These 51 refugees are not the first to be welcomed to Italy. Since 2016, the efforts of the Community of St. Egidio and its partners have helped bring about 3,000 people to safer conditions in Italy from Lebanon alone.
In total, more than 7,700 refugees have come to Europe through the Humanitarian Corridors.
Pope Francis and refugees
Throughout the 11 years of his pontificate, the refugee crisis has continued to be an important issue for Pope Francis. He has not only spoken about it, calling countries out for their indifference, but his pontificate has been marked with action to support them as well.
In 2016, finishing his visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis brought 12 refugees from Syria, including six children, back to Rome aboard the papal plane.
Five years later, when he traveled to Greece, he met with nine young Syrian Christians in the Apostolic Nunciature in Athens.
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