Pope Francis to visit US in 2015
Pope Francis officially announced that he will make a trip to the United States sometime during 2015.
The New York Times reports that the details of the trip have not yet been confirmed, other than a stop in Philadelphia. The city of Philadelphia is set to play host to the World Meeting of Families, a Catholic gathering.
According to the World Meeting of Families website, the event is held every three years and brings together Roman Catholic families from all around the world. The focus of this year's event is "Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive." Events and meetings will center upon the role of the family in society. The Times reports one part of the Pope's visit to the event is a mass that will be held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which cuts through the middle of downtown Philadelphia. It is believed that more than one million people would attend such a mass. The Times also points out that speculation has led many to believe that Pope Francis will stop in New York City as well. This speculation has only grown more intense after it was reported that the Pope's representative at the United Nations said the Pope would visit New York City if he also visited Philadelphia. The Times says that the Pope has been invited to the United States by both the United States Congress and President Barack Obama. The head of the U.N., Ban Ki-moon also extended an invitation to Pope Francis to come to the United States. The last pope to visit the United States was Pope Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict visited the United States in 2008, where he led masses at baseball stadiums in New York City and Washington D.C. Pope Benedict also addressed the United Nations while in New York City, which Pope Francis is also widely expected to do.
