Francis has catch-up lunch with refugees he brought to Rome

Pope Francis had a reunion lunch with 21 Syrian refugees at the Vatican today.

The Pope's lunch guests included the 12 refugees – three married couples and six children – he had brought back to Rome with him from Lesbos, Greece, in April and another nine Syrian refugees who arrived in Rome in June with Vatican assistance.

While the Vatican is covering the living costs of the 21 refugees, they are being housed and resettled by the Community of Sant'Egidio, a lay community based in Rome. The community runs a large Italian language school for refugees, which the Syrians are attending.