With migrants in mind, Pope Francis visits Cyprus

Migrants wait for assistance outside the Holy Cross Catholic Church next to the United Nations buffer zone in Nicosia, Cyprus November 24, 2021. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Pope Francis visits Cyprus this week to lend his support to a conflict-riven island now on the front line of a new migratory route for people fleeing their countries for Europe.

In central Nicosia, nothing tells the story of an influx in arrivals more than the small courtyard area outside the Church of the Holy Cross. Each morning migrants queue for aid and assistance from a Catholic charity.