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What to expect from the World Meeting of Families

The World Meeting of Families, from Sept. 22 to 27, is expected to bring 15,000 people from around the globe to its congress, a focus on faith and family.

The World Meeting of Families, from Sept. 22 to 27, is expected to bring 15,000 people from around the globe to its congress, a focus on faith and family.

Philadelphia highlights. Pope Francis will mark the event with two appearances on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway - the Festival of Families on Sept. 26, and a Sunday Mass the following day. As many as two million people are expected to throng the city for both events.

The Philadelphia Orchestra, the renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and the Colombian pop star Juanes will perform at a free concert for the pope and the festival. The orchestra will accompany the papal Mass and provide liturgical music for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's choir.

About the congress. The triennial World Meeting of Families is the world's largest Catholic gathering of families, offering an array of sessions for adults and children at the Convention Center.

Started in 1994 by St. John Paul II, the World Meeting is sponsored by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Family. This year's theme is "Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive."

The U.S. visit. Francis' visit to Philadelphia will cap a whirlwind visit that begins in Cuba and includes stops in Washington and New York.

The pope arrives in Washington on the evening of Sept. 22 and will be welcomed the next morning by President Obama at a White House ceremony before celebrating Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He will address a joint meeting of Congress afterward.

Arriving in New York on Sept. 24, the pope will address the U.N. General Assembly before leaving for Philadelphia.