Just after his brief but record-breaking visit in the Philippines, Pope Francis announced that he will be visiting the United States for a three-city tour in September, and later, will stop by South America and Africa.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the pontiff has already outlined his travel plans during an in-flight news conference on the way back to Rome after his five-day tour in the Philippines. The Pope has confirmed that he will be visiting the states of Washington, New York, and Philadelphia, and that he will also be going to Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, as well as the Central African Republic, and Uganda. Meanwhile, Chile, Uruguay, and his native Argentina are listed for his 2016 tour.
It was also reported by NBC News that he planned on to canonize 17th-century missionary, Junipero Serra during his Washington stop. Serra was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded a mission in California and started the first nine of the 21 Spanish missions in the United States, from California to San Diego.
There is no word on whether or not he will be visiting the White House, but it is likely that the Pope will also be welcomed with a ceremony there.
For his stop in New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio believes that New Yorkers will welcome the Pope with open arms, saying in a statement, "Pope Francis is the leading global voice on issues of social justice and income inequality, and New Yorkers from all backgrounds will be tremendously humbled and honored to hear his message right here."
Finally, for his stop in Philadelphia, the Pope is to say Mass and conduct a prayer vigil, as well as visit a children's hospital or a juvenile prison.
The full details of his itinerary is yet to be determined.
Although the Pope planned on going to the US, NBC News reported that he will not be stopping by Mexico. He laughingly said, "You know that [to] go to Mexico without going to visit the Madonna [of Guadalupe] would be a drama. A war could break out. I think there will only be those three cities. Later there will be time to go to Mexico."
Finally, according to the Wall Street Journal, Pope Francis pushed his trip to Africa to the end of the year to avoid the Ebola outbreak, as well as the rainy season in the continent.
