The group included several families with children, who shouted "Long live Italy" to applause from the crowd gathered to meet them. Those present included Italy's deputy Foreign Minister Mario Giro and S. Egidio President Marco Impagliazzo. A second group of 68 refugees arrived on Thursday. Many had fled to refugee camps in Lebanon from the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Homs.

Nearly 800 refugees have arrived in Italy on a total of 13 flights since February 4, 2016, through the humanitarian corridor launched by the Christian communities in conjunction with the interior and foreign ministries.

"At a time when the immigration phenomenon is being exploited in Europe for political purposes, also for electoral reasons, the growing commitment by civil society shows that an alternative model is possible for receiving and integrating men and women who would otherwise be victims of human traffickers," a joint statement from the S. Egidio Community, Federation of Evangelical churches in Italy and the Waldensian Table said.

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