Pope Francis at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Jan. 15, 2014
Pope Francis may visit the U.S. in September 2015 to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, the National Catholic Reporter reports.
Citing two senior Vatican sources, the newspaper says the pope is eager to attend the international event, held every three years in a different city since it was launched two decades ago by Pope John Paul II. The visit could reportedly include a stop in New York to address the U.N. General Assembly that meets the same month.
The Vatican doesn’t confirm the dates of papal trips until just before they begin, but NCR’s sources claimed Pope Francis had expressed interest in a visit. News of the potential visit to the U.S. — the Pope’s first since his inauguration — comes ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to Pope Francis at the Vatican on March 27.
[NCR]