The administration admitted a total of 12,587 Syrian refugees during the just-ended fiscal year, exceeding the target President Obama declared last fall by 2,587 (20.5 percent).

Of the 12,587, the vast majority are Sunni Muslims – 12,363 (98.2 percent) – while another 103 are identified in State Department Refugee Processing Center data simply as Muslims and a further 20 as Shi’a Muslims.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted on Saturday that she had not reversed course on her policy on migrants, two weeks after she said she wished she could turn back the clock to better prepare Germany for last year’s influx.

Pope Francis has encouraged Europeans to welcome refugees, calling authentic hospitality "our greatest security against hateful acts of terrorism."

Francis Saturday spoke to alumni of Jesuit schools in Europe who were in Rome for a conference on refugees.

The Obama administration has surpassed its goal of receiving 10,000 Syrian refugees by Oct. 1, but very few of the new arrivals are Christian.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks to grant citizenship to some 300,000 Syrians who could travel to Europe when the European Union grants Turkey visa-free access.

The 2016 Presidential candidates stances on Syrian refugees.