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Hundreds of
thousands of refugees, many fleeing the war in Syria, have
poured onto the Aegean island over the past year. However, under
a contested plan, the European Union started returning newcomers
to neighboring Turkey this month.
The pope has repeatedly spoken out in support of refugees and
has urged Roman Catholic churches around Europe to take in
migrant families. His first trip after he became pontiff in 2013
was to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, which, like Lesbos, has
received hundreds of thousands of migrants.
"It's very clear that the pope recognizes that there is a
significant emergency going on," said Vatican spokesman Father
Federico Lombardi.
"Just as he went to Lampedusa, which was then the front line of
the Mediterranean route, now that there is this difficult,
dramatic situation on the Aegean front, he naturally wants to be
present to show a sense of solidarity and responsibility."
The Vatican said the details of the day trip were still being
worked out but that the pope would meet refugees along with
Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based spiritual head of the world's
Orthodox Christians, and Ieronymos II, head of the Greek
Orthodox Church.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella, editing by Crispian Balmer)
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