 |
|
| Pope Francis arrives to lead an audience at the Vatican recently. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) |
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis said he would attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in September of 2015, making it the first confirmed stop on what is expected to be a more extensive papal visit to North America.
The pope made the announcement November 17, in a speech opening an interreligious conference on traditional marriage.
“I would like to confirm that, God willing, in September 2015, I will go to Philadelphia for the eighth World Meeting of Families,” the pope said.
Announcement expected
The announcement had been widely expected, since Pope Benedict XVI had said before his retirement that he hoped to attend the Philadelphia event. Popes typically fulfill their predecessors’ publicly known travel plans, as Pope Francis did in July 2013, when he attended World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.
Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who was in Rome for the families meeting, told Catholic News Service the announcement was “a surprise in the sense that it was announced so early; you know usually they don’t make these announcements — four months out is the typical and here we are 10 months away, and the Holy Father said he is coming to Philadelphia.”
