The refugee crisis has played into the hands of the Catholic Church in Austria, with a significant number of Muslims converting to Christianity in the country, Deutsche Welle reports citing dpa data.

Three quarters of 750 adults baptized in 2017 come from Muslim countries, a spokesperson for the Archbishopric of Vienna said on Friday, January 13.

260 people representing 15 different nations were baptized in the Austrian capital alone.

According to Friederike Dostal, the assertion that migrants are changing their faith in order to increase the chances of getting asylum is untenable.

“Since the Catholic Church in Austria has no need for pseudo-Christians, we are very strict in the process of selecting candidates and authorizing the rite of baptism,” Dostal said.

Preparation for baptism takes at least one year, which includes regular visits to religious courses and church services, following the Christian norms of life and involvement in charitable events.

More and more refugees are converting from Islam to Christianity as they settle in Germany too.