The Pope has taken 12 Syrian refugees, including six children, on his plane back to Rome following a visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, according to the Vatican. All the asylum seekers rescued by Pope Francis were Muslims They were among thousands of people trapped on the Greek island of Lesbos following the controversial EU-Turkey deal, which sees all asylum seekers arriving over the Aegean detained as they await their fate. A statement from the Holy See press office said: “The Pope has desired to make a gesture of welcome regarding refugees, accompanying on his plane to Rome three families of refugees from Syria, 12 people in all, including six children” RT reports: The Vatican added that those invited by the pontiff “were already in camps in Lesbos before the agreement between the European Union and Turkey.” In March, the EU struck a deal with Turkey, under which migrants and refugees reaching Greece from Turkey will be returned. In response, the EU agreed to take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey. Here are refugees boarding Pope Francis’s plane to return w him to the Vatican. Awaiting details from Vatican. pic.twitter.com/VpW7niiBxR — Jim Yardley (@JimBYardley) April 16, 2016 [...]