Pope Francis To Visit New York City During 3-Day U.S. Trip September 2015

Monica Cantilero Thursday, January 22, 2015

Pope Francis gestures as he speaks with journalists on his flight back from Manila to Rome, on Jan. 19, 2015. | REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Pope Francis is set to visit New York City as part of his three-city trip to the U.S. in September, according to Vatican officials.

The highest leader of the Roman Catholic Church will be travelling to the U.S., his first-ever visit, to attend the World Meeting of Families, which will be held in Philadelphia from Sept. 22-27.

The Pope's visit to New York will coincide with the 70th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25. He is expected to address the body, The Wall Street Journal reported.

A visit to the newly restored St. Patrick's Cathedral is being planned to be included in Pope Francis' itinerary.

"This will be a wonderful occasion for the Church in New York, and for the broader community as well," said Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also welcomed the planned visit. In a statement, he said: "New York City will be excited and delighted to host Pope Francis during his visit to the United States this September. I was proud to extend an invitation for His Holiness to visit New York when I met with Cardinal Parolin during our visit to the Vatican last year, and the Pope should know New York will welcome him with open arms."

"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 in our city later this year."

The Pope recently came under fire for saying there are limits to the freedom of expression, saying people "cannot insult the faith of others."

He illustrated his point by saying: "If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch."

He also argued that Catholics do not need to breed "like rabbits" and emphasized the importance of "responsible parenthood," saying there are methods of regulating births that the church has approved.