Germany and Austria are welcoming thousands of migrants within their borders Sunday.
Most of the migrants have opted to seek refuge in Germany - Europe's wealthiest country - where an estimated 8,000 are expected to arrive by day's end. German officials have said they will accept as many as 800,000 asylum seekers this year.
European Union countries have been divided amid an uNPRecedented migrant influx. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini has warned that the migrant inflow is “here to stay” and called for a unifying European approach to effectively respond to it.
Pope Francis on Sunday called on "every parish, every religious community, every monastery, every sanctuary in Europe" to host a refugee family.
The pontiff told pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter's Square that two parishes in the Vatican will take in two families of refugees.
Meanwhile, refugees on Turkey's border with Syria told VOA Sunday that more and more newcomers are going directly from the borders to buses to begin the next phase of their dangerous journey towards Europe.