Pope Francis brings 12 Syrians to Vatican from Lesbos

Pope Francis greets refugees at the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos 

Pope Francis has taken 12 Syrians, all of them Muslim, back with him to the Vatican after his visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to highlight the plight of thousands of people seeking to reach Western Europe from Turkey.

The three families, including six children, met with Francis on the tarmac and boarded his plane following his five-hour trip to the island on the frontline of the ongoing refugee crisis.

In a statement on Saturday, the Vatican said the pontiff wanted to "make a gesture of welcome" to the refugees, who were in camps on the island before the controversial agreement between the EU and Ankara to deport all "irregular migrants" to Turkey came into effect on March 20.

The Vatican said the three families, two of them hailing from the Syrian capital of Damascus and one from Deir az-Zor, had all fled their homes after they were bombed