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Essential question
What obstacles must refugees overcome when adjusting to life in a new country?
While visiting refugee camps on the Greek Island of Lesbos in April, Pope Francis announced that three Syrian families would return with him to Rome for resettlement.
Now the harrowing journey for the three families, which include six children and six adults, has ended in Italy where they hope to be able to start new lives with support from the Vatican and Catholic Charities.
Yahoo News global correspondent Katie Couric sat down with four of the resettled refugees to learn how they feel about their situation now. After fleeing the violent conflict in Syria and surviving the journey to Greece, they expressed gratitude for the Pope and hope for their futures as they look forward to learning Italian, finding jobs and enrolling their children in school.
"They're so grateful for their security," Couric said. "They're going to try to build a new life in Italy, and hopefully, they say, return to Syria one day, if they can."
Key terms
Vatican
— the papal headquarters in Rome
Warm up questions ( before watching the video)
- What do you know about the conflict in Syria?
- What does it mean to be a refugee?
- What has been Europe's response to the migrant crisis?
Critical thinking questions ( after watching the video)
- Why do you think Pope Francis decided to bring three Syrian families back with him to Rome?
- What should other leaders, whether religious or political, be doing to help the refugees?
- Do you think the remaining refugees on Lesbos should be offered asylum in Europe? What challenges stand in the way of this?
