Pope may visit Greek island to highlight refugees’ plight

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, will visit the Greek island of Lesbos next week to highlight the plight of refugees, the Greek government said, as refugees and other migrants are being deported back to Turkey under the European Union’s controversial program to ease Europe’s migrant problem.

Under the EU’s deal with Turkey reached last month, those arriving on Greek islands from March 20 onward who do not apply for asylum in Greece or whose application is rejected or deemed inadmissible will be deported back to Turkey. For every Syrian returned to Turkey, another Syrian there will be relocated to a European country.

But after the initial return of 202 people Monday from the islands of Lesbos and Chios, most of the roughly 4,000 people earmarked for deportation were submitting asylum applications, leading to delays in the system.

Francis, the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina, has been outspoken about Europe’s moral obligation to welcome refugees, and his visit to Greece will likely embarrass EU leaders already under fire from human rights groups over the deportations.

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, the decision-making body of the Greek church, said Francis had asked to come to highlight the plight of refugees. It said the request had been accepted and the island of Lesbos suggested, adding it had also extended an invitation to Bartholomew to visit the island on the same day.

The Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate confirmed Bartholomew would visit the island.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said Tuesday that no decision had been made but in an email to the Associated Press he said, “I don’t deny that there are contacts about a possible trip.”

The Greek government issued a note saying the pope and patriarch would be visiting Lesbos on April 14-15 along with Athens Archbishop Ieronymos, and that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras would join them.

Francis has made the plight of migrants a priority of his three-year pontificate, insisting in particular that Europe and other countries open their doors and hearts to people fleeing persecution and poverty.