CNN’s Clarissa Ward speaks with a Syrian refugee family who fled their country’s brutal civil war to settle in Italy with the help of Pope Francis.

Rome

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, has died at age 88 from a cerebral stroke and subsequent heart failure, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis Dies

Wafa Eid and her family were able to find safety and a new life in Italy thanks to the intervention of Pope Francis. Arriving on the Pope's personal plane, Eid arrived in Italy from a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, alongside her husband and children. The family was one of three Syrian families aided by the Catholic charity Sant'Egidio, under the auspices of Pope Francis.

Upon their arrival in Rome, the Pope personally welcomed them, placing a hand on her son Omar’s head, which made the entire experience feel dreamlike to Eid. Pope Francis further extended his hospitality by inviting the families for lunch as they acquainted themselves with their new surroundings.

The Eid family has been residing in Italy for nine years now, and Wafa Eid is acutely conscious of their fortunate position, particularly as political sentiments towards refugees have shifted over the years. She believes Pope Francis recognized the humanity in refugees, acknowledging their struggles, feelings, and dignity, despite public opinion. Reflecting on her journey and the support she received, Eid simply wishes to express her gratitude to Pope Francis for the profound impact he had on their lives.



Refugee family fleeing war recalls how Pope gave them a new life

It was a day Wafa Eid will never forget, arriving on Italian soil with Pope Francis on his personal plane. And how are you feeling in this moment? We felt safe. Safe for the first time since leaving war-torn Syria. Wafa, her husband, and their two children were among three families assisted by the Catholic charity Sant'Egidio to leave the Lesbos refugee camp in Greece and start a new life in Italy, their host, the Pope himself. He came to greet each one of us, she tells us, and he placed a hand on my son Omar's head. How did you feel, I ask her? A dream, she says, it was like a dream. Back in Rome, Pope Francis invited the families to lunch as they settled in. She remembers him as calm and kind. Wafa and her children have now been in Italy for nine years. As the political tide has turned against welcoming refugees, she is acutely aware of how fortunate they are. What do you think that Pope Francis saw that other leaders did not? In my opinion, he saw that refugees are also humans, she said, that they are people, they feel, they get sick, they have families, and they also have a right to live well. If you had the opportunity to speak to Pope Francis one more time before he had died, what would you like him to know? I would tell him thank you, she says, just thank you. Clarissa Ward, CNN, Rome.

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Pope Francis Dies