Pope Francis visited the Greek island of Lesbos on Saturday, highlighting the plight of nearly 4,000 migrants, who, in the wake of the E.U.-Turkey deal, are in limbo waiting to see whether they’ll be granted asylum in Greece or be deported to Turkey. The Vatican also announced the Pope would bring 12 refugees, all of whom are Muslim, back with him to Italy. The Vatican is already hosting two refugee families.

Volunteers from Greece, Syria, Spain, the Netherlands, England, the United States, Finland, Germany, Australia, Ireland and Iceland gather at the Hermes laundry in Anaxos, on Lesbos island. They glove up and sort through the wet clothes [...] discarded after aid groups provide the newly arrived refugees and migrants with the warmth and dignity of clean, dry clothes.

In late 2015, “Stephen K.” of the United States created a petition asking that the Greek islanders who have been helping refugees receive the Nobel Peace Prize “for their contributions aiding the refugee crisis.” The Greek isles [...] have been key points in the perilous journeys of [...] refugees who entered Europe in 2015, and many local people have volunteered to help these travelers as they come ashore, in need.

A bright orange peace sign appeared on a hillside on the Greek island of Lesbos on New Year's Day, transforming a growing pile of life jackets discarded by refugees arriving on the island into a message to the world. 

Ai Wei Wei, the renowned Chinese artist who is currently visiting refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos […] has been sharing pictures and videos on his personal Instagram account, drawing attention to the plight of the thousands of refugees risking stormy waters to escape war and hardship.

European leaders agreed to cooperate to manage migrants crossing the Balkans but offered no quick fix to a crisis that threatens to take more lives as winter sets in and to set Europe's nations against one another.

In an effort to better Greece's international image, the country's Department of Foreign Affairs has stated it will strengthen ties with the Greek diaspora to fend off the stigma of 'Grexit' to a more appropriate 'Greform' (Greek reform), following the effects of its economic crisis.