Caritas Turkey responds to Syria/Iraq refugee crisis

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will meet a group young people including refugees from the Middle East and Africa in Istanbul Sunday before returning to Rome, on this, the last day of his three day visit to Turkey. The young people receive assistance from the small Salesian community in Istanbul.

The Pope’s visit with refugees throws into the spotlight the plight of more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey today. Belinda Muncu of Caritas Turkey estimates that the number could be as high as two million because of the many refugees who fail to register.

Listen to Philippa Hitchen’s interview with Belinda Muncu of Caritas Turkey:

In addition to Syrian refugees, there are perhaps as many as ten thousand Iraqi refugees in Turkey.  Thousands more are waiting to register, she says.

Muncu tells Philippa Hitchen that Syrians are the only refugees given hospitality in the camps but the number of people living outside the camps is rising rapidly, putting additional pressures on Turkish society.