Who wept for these people? How papacy was defined by compassion for migrants

On a glorious spring day almost a decade ago, an Airbus A320 took off from Mytilene airport on the Greek island of Lesbos as a small group of bystanders watched in disbelief.

- Helena Smith

On a glorious spring day almost a decade ago, an Airbus A320 took off from Mytilene airport on the Greek island of Lesbos as a small group of bystanders watched in disbelief. On board was Pope Francis, who had spent barely five hours on Lesbos, then at the epicentre of the refugee crisis on Europe's eastern fringes, but it was the pontiff's fellow travellers who had caused such surprise. Moments after the head of the Roman Catholic Church had entered the aircraft, 12 refugees had also appeared, cheerfully making their way across the tarmac with expressions of stunned relief.

"The pope has desired to make a gesture of welcome regarding refugees, accompanying on his plane to Rome three families from Syria, 12 people in all, including six children," said a spokesperson from the Holy See. "The Vatican will take responsibility for bringing in and maintaining [them]."

It was 16 April 2016. Francis had assumed the papacy three years, one month and four days earlier. By the time of his visit to the Greek outpost more than 1 million people had traversed Lesbos on their way to Europe, mostly from Syria but also from other parts of Asia and Africa. The island had become synonymous with the biggest mass movement of men, women and children since the second world war.