UNITED STATES
Washington Post
By Michelle Boorstein January 18
The committee planning Pope Francis’s fall trip to the United States is considering having him land Sept. 22 in Washington and visit the White House, address Congress and then head to New York for a possible stop at Ground Zero, a member of the committee reportedly said.
The comments made Sunday by Archbishop Bernardito Auza — the Vatican’s representative to the United Nations — are the most detailed thus far about the possible arc of Francis’s trip, which centers on a major meeting in Philadelphia on family issues. Auza spoke to a reporter who works for two Catholic news organizations with close ties to the Vatican: Catholic News Agency and EWTN.
Late Sunday, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, an English-speaking spokesman for the Vatican, declined to comment, other than to say “there is no official confirmation” of anything but the Philadelphia leg.
There have been rumors for months about which other cities, besides Philadelphia, Francis would visit on his trip. John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi — both Catholic — formally invited him in March to speak to Congress. If he does, he will be the first. Other popes, including Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, have visited the White House.
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