Pope meets father of drowned Syrian refugee boy

Pope Francis speaks to Abdullah Kurdi (Vatican Media via AP)

Pope Francis has met the father of Alan Kurdi, a three-year old Syrian boy who drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea and whose image drew global attention to the plight of refugees fleeing to Europe.

Following a mass on Sunday in the Iraqi city of Irbil, Francis met with Abdullah Kurdi and spent a long time with him, the Vatican said.