Pope Francis had lunch at the Vatican on Thursday with 21 refugees from war-torn Syria who were brought to Rome at his request, Vatican Radio reported.
During the lunch held at the Vatican hotel where Francis lives, the refugees - adults and children - told Francis about their lives since arriving in Italy. The Pope gave the children numerous toys and other gifts and received a collection of their drawings, Vatican Radio reported.
The refugees are being hosted in Rome by the Catholic Community of St Egidio charity and its founder Andrea Riccardi was also among guests at Thursday's lunch, along with workers for the charity and several Vatican police officers who helped transfer the refugees to Rome, Vatican Radio said.
A first group of 12 refugees travelled to Rome with Francis aboard the papal plane when he returned from an acclaimed visit to a migrant centre the Greek island of Lesbos on 16 April.
A second group of nine Syrian refugees including two Christians arrived in Rome from Lesbos in mid-June and were accompanied on the journey by staff from the Community of St Egidio.
Francis has frequently urged nations to do more to help refugees and last year called on every parish in Europe to take in at least one refugee family.
The Vatican's Sant'Anna parish took in a Syrian couple and their two children in September last year while January, its parish of St. Peter's Basilica provided an apartment for an Eritrean family with five children.
