Pope Francis calls on Europe to take in refugees

Pope Francis
(Image credit: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)

Thousands of migrants, many fleeing conflict in Syria, streamed into Austria and Germany on Saturday and Sunday. The dangerous journey for refugees is made more difficult by European countries either refusing to take people in or severely limiting the number of people they'll accept. For days, Hungary blocked migrants from travelling through by train or bus, which forced them to walk along the train tracks.

On Sunday, Pope Francis called on the Catholic community in Europe to do their part by helping refugees flee "death from war and hunger," The Associated Press reports. He said the Vatican's two parishes are taking in two families.

The pope, addressing tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, said it's not enough to say to refugees, "Have courage, hang in there."

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.