"Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput said Pope Francis has accepted his invitation to attend the World Meeting of Families in the U.S. next year. Chaput has made the announcement before giving his homily during the opening Mass of the Tekakwitha Conference in Fargo,” The National Catholic Reporter writes.
"Pope Francis has told me that he is coming," the archbishop apparently said, inviting his fellow Native Americans to the 2015 celebration due to take place in Philadelphia between September 22-27. "The pope will be with us the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of that week," he said.
The vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi, “said Friday that Pope Francis has expressed "his willingness to participate in the World Meeting of Families" in Philadelphia, and has received invitations to visit other cities as well, which he is considering. Those invitations include New York, the United Nations and Washington,” the National Catholic Reporter informs.
However, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia explained in a statement that there “has been no official confirmation by the Vatican or The Holy See of Pope Francis' attendance.” “We still expect that any official confirmation will come approximately six months prior to the event,” the archdiocese said, explaining that “Archbishop Chaput's comments do not serve as official confirmation, (but) they do serve to bolster our sincere hope that Philadelphia will welcome Pope Francis next September.” “Archbishop Chaput has frequently shared his confidence in Pope Francis' attendance at the World Meeting and his personal conversations with the Holy Father are the foundation for that confidence,” the statement said.
“Some Mexican media have cited government officials saying a September trip to North America also could include stops in Mexico, but Lombardi said that at this moment "nothing operational has begun relative to a plan or program for a visit to the United States or Mexico. Keep in mind, there is still more than a year to go before the meeting in Philadelphia”,” the National Catholic Reporter adds.
