The first group of migrants left Cyprus on Thursday as part of Pope Francis' initiative to help relocate them, the island republic's government said, citing Reuters.
Pope Francis visited Cyprus in early December. He promised to arrange for the transfer of 50 migrants to Italy, the Cypriot Interior Ministry said at the time.
Twelve migrants left Cyprus early Thursday, the ministry said.
"We would like to warmly thank Pope Francis and the Holy See for this symbolic gesture and look forward to this as a step towards substantial solidarity from other (EU) Member States to the Republic of Cyprus," the statement said.
Ethnically divided Cyprus has struggled to manage the influx of migrants and refugees over the past two years.
Many asylum seekers are arriving in the southern government-controlled areas via the "green line" separating the island, after arriving in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot community in the north.
Cyprus, the European Union's closest member state to the Middle East, says arrivals have increased by 38% so far this year compared to the whole of 2020.
Pope Francis, whose protection for refugees and migrants is significant for his pontificate, also visited Greece and the island of Lesbos earlier this month.
During a previous visit in 2016, Pope Francis left Lesbos, then at the forefront of the European migration crisis, taking with him 12 Syrian refugees.
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