Pope Francis meets refugees on Lesbos: "I am here to see your faces"

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During his visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis denounced dealing with refugees as a "shipwreck of civilization".

Immediately upon arrival, the pontiff deviated from the protocol.

He got out of the car and walked to the migrants who had been waiting for him.

For many of the refugees living in camps on Lesbos, the Pope's visit is a glimmer of hope.

Tania Miesian, refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo / December 4, 2021

»I've never met the Pope.

I am delighted to see him. "

Landrid, refugee from Cameroon / December 4, 2021

"We pray that he will tell the Greek authorities that they cannot

keep

people here for years."

The Pope met a small group of refugees in the Mavrovouni camp.

Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church

“I am here to see your faces and to look you in the eyes.

Eyes full of fear and expectation.

Eyes that saw violence and poverty.

Eyes from which too many tears have flowed. "

Thousands of people who fled to Europe across the Mediterranean are living in camps on Lesbos.

Mavrovouni currently houses 2200 people.

It is the pontiff's second visit to Lesbos after 2016, when Francis visited the Moria camp, which burned down in 2020.

To replace Moria, Greece has set up several largely closed camps for refugees in recent months.

They are equipped with running water and toilets, surrounded by barbed wire and locked at night.

The Pope is currently on a state visit to Greece.

He had already criticized the European refugee policy on Saturday.