- ROME, DEC 3 - A total of 50 refugees will be transferred
from Cyprus to Italy and all operations to transport and host
them and help them integrate in Italy will be funded by the Holy
See, at the initiative of Pope Francis.
Well-informed sources said that the first group of 12-15 people
are scheduled to leave before Christmas while the others will
follow between January and February 2022. From a juridical
standpoint, the operation is called a "reallocation for
humanitarian reasons".
The transfer of the 50 refugees to Italy and their integration
will be organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio.
They are mainly migrants from Syria, Congo, Cameroon and Iraq,
including families with children.
The announcement of the migrants' transfer to Italy was given
during the pope's visit to Cyprus, which started Thursday
morning.
On Friday morning the pontiff met Archbishop Chrysostomos II and
the Holy Synod at the Orthodox Cathedral in Nicosia.
Francis celebrated mass for the Catholic community of Cyprus, in
memory of St Francis Saverio, in front of about 10,000 people at
the GSP Stadium in Nicosia.
In the afternoon, the pontiff went to the Church of the Holy
Cross in Nicosia, close to the wall dividing the Greek-Cypriot
part from the Turkish-Cypriot, for a moment of ecumenical prayer
with migrants.
Some of those who will be transferred to Italy were among those
present.
Upon his arrival, Francis was welcomed at the altar by the Latin
patriarch of Jerusalem, Mons. Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
Pope brings 50 migrants from Cyprus to Italy
Pontiff in Nicosia takes part in ecumenical prayer with migrants