Pope Francis leaves behind two Christian refugees in Greece, brings three Muslim families to Italy

Two Christian refugees have expressed their disappointment toward Pope Francis for allegedly reneging on an offer to help them.

According to the Mail Online, Christian brother and sister Malek and Roula Abofrom from Qamishli, Syria, who are staying in the Greek island of Lesbos, had their hopes high when the Catholic leader visited the country. They are said to have been among the 12 people chosen by the Vatican who could have a new life in Italy.

However, they were told the next day that three Muslim families were to be taken to Rome instead. The Pope reportedly said that something was wrong with the papers of a Christian family that were included in the list.

"If they can do this for 12 people they can do it for more," 22-year-old Roula told the publication. "If you have promised to take people back to Italy will something like registration papers stand in your way?"

The siblings, who arrived in Lesbos on April 1, were told that the reason they couldn't go was because they arrived past March 20. The European Union had an agreement with Turkey that asylum-seekers arriving in Greece after that deadline would be returned. They are still waiting for the results of their application -- if they would be sent away.

"The problem here is the three Syrians arrived after the March 20 deadline," said Massimiliano Signifredi, spokesman for Community Sant'Egidio. "They arrived just after the agreement between the European Union and Turkey."

Community Sant'Egidio is the charity organization that organized the trip, which, since February, had already arranged and moved dozens Syrians to Italy.

"Our staff went to Lesbos and spoke with the people who were selected. But everything was decided by the Vatican," he said. "The question why the Pope took only Muslims is difficult to understand and he was suffering, I think, because he wanted to do something also for Christians as the chief of the Catholic Church. But he couldn't because there is this international agreement [with the EU]."

The siblings tried to stay as long as they could in Syria, hoping that things would get better, but they eventually fled because they heard that Christians were being killed in the city of Raqqa.

"We were clinging to the hope that it will get better. We know that as soon as we leave the house people will come and take our stuff. We know we can't go back," 28-year-old Malek said, adding, "We wanted to finish university – I studied law and Roula was studying to be a primary school teacher."

Their mother is said to be living in Germany.