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Pope Francis to visit Philadelphia to celebrate World Meeting of Families

Ending months of open speculation and anticipation, Pope Francis announced this morning at the Vatican – the dead of night, Philadelphia time – that he is indeed coming to the City of Brotherly Love next September, to celebrate the World Meeting of Families, a massive global gathering that takes place every three years.

Habemus Papam!...or we will, anyway, next fall.

Ending months of open speculation and anticipation, Pope Francis announced this morning at the Vatican – the dead of night, Philadelphia time – that he is indeed coming to the City of Brotherly Love next September, to celebrate the World Meeting of Families, a massive global gathering that takes place every three years.

Francis' attendance – which had been signaled for months but had not been officially confirmed – was announced by the spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics alongside Philadelphia's Archbishop Charles Chaput, who flew to Rome to be present alongside the pope when the historic announcement was made.

The news that the former Argentinean church leader Jorge Mario Bergoglio will be here in just 10 months is a landmark development in a number of ways.

It will be Francis' first visit to American soil since becoming pope in February 2013 – and thus the first chance for U.S. Catholics to take their measure of a man who's been depicted as an iconoclastic reformer for the 21st Century, projecting an image of a more open and tolerant church on hot-button social topics such as homosexuality and divorce. During his so-far tumultuous 21-month tenure, Francis has also placed strong emphasis on ministry to the poor – backed up by his Spartan personal style – and spoken out against income inequality.

It will also be just the second time that a sitting pope has visited Philadelphia in person. Many city residents still have warm and lasting memories of the 1979 arrival here of Pope John Paul II, who spent two days here including a public outdoor mass at Logan Circle attended by a throng estimated somewhere on the order of 1 million people.

Because of the intensive nature of the World Meeting of Families event, Francis' time in Philadelphia is expected to be longer than John Paul's visit was -- perhaps three days. In a statement this morning, officials with the Philadelphia Archdiocese said Francis is likely to attend the Festival of Families, an intercultural celebration of family life around the world on September 26 next year, a Saturday, and a papal Mass to be held on Sunday, September 27. The statement said both of these events will take place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway be open to the public.

"I am overjoyed by Pope Francis' announcement that he will join with us for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next year," Chaput said in the statement. "A hallmark of his papacy has been a keen focus on the many challenges that families face today globally. His charisma, presence and voice will electrify the gathering."

"As I've said many times before, I believe that the presence of the Holy Father will bring all of us – Catholic and non-Catholic alike – together in tremendously powerful, unifying and healing ways. We look forward to Pope Francis' arrival in Philadelphia next September and we will welcome him joyfully with open arms and prayerful hearts."

The city will likely not be the only papal stop in the United States, either. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told the Daily News last summer that Francis would consider invitations he has received to make other stops in the United States, like addressing a joint session of Congress or the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The official announcement of Francis' visit has been anticipated since March, when Mayor Nutter, Gov. Corbett and Chaput traveled to the Vatican to make Philadelphia's case.