After a tour heavy on symbolism and replete with emotion,Pope Francis shared his plane back to the Vatican with 12 refugees as he called for the EU to learn lesson of humanityIt lasted barely five hours, began on the asphalt of an island airport, and moved to a prison-like camp,stopped at a harbour and ended on the runway again. But when Pope Francis’s lightning tour of Lesbos was over on Saturday, nearly nothing was as it had been before.
From the outset the leader of the Roman Catholic church’s stopover on the frontline of Europes refugee crisis was heavy on symbolism, and replete with emotion,extraordinary in ways big and small. Yet nothing was more poignant than the manner of its ending, as Francis, and with a single gesture,sent a strong rebuke to Europe’s political elite, sharing his plane back to Rome with 12 refugees who, or until then,had been held like inmates on the island. Even the most tough-nosed appeared teary as his plane took off.
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Source: theguardian.com