Pope Francis Confirms 'Pivotal' Visit to USA in 2015 to Lead World Meeting Of Families

Pope Francis announced on Monday that he would visit the United States for the first time in September 2015.

The visit is considered a pivotal one since it would take place just days before bishops from all over the world gather at a Vatican summit to finalize the Roman Catholic Church's stance on controversial issues including acceptance of gays and divorced and remarried Catholics.

The Holy Father is expected to touch on those issues when he visits Philadelphia to lead the World Meeting of Families, a global Catholic event initiated by St. John Paul II in 1994. It takes place every three years.

"I wish to confirm, if God wills it, that in September of 2015 I will go to Philadelphia for the Eighth World Meeting of Families," he announced.

The Philadelphia World Meeting of Families will take place from Sept. 22-27, 2015 with the theme "Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive." The meeting will mark the first time that the event will be held in the United States.

Last week, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia told a gathering of Catholic bishops that a papal visit would likely result in crowds of about 1 million.

"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 on Monday. "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," he added.

Pope Francis has become a highly popular figure in the United States, adored by many for his humble style of leadership.

The Pope confirmed his visit to the United States just three days after the Vatican released the itinerary of his visits to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January next year.

Pope Francis has already visited the Middle East, Albania, South Korea, and Brazil in his 20-month papacy. The Pope is also due to visit Turkey and European institutions in Strasbourg, France this month.

It has not been confirmed whether President Obama will meet the visiting head of the Roman Catholic Church in September next year. The two already met last March in the Vatican where they avoided controversial social issues and instead focused on global poverty, the raging conflict in the Middle East and the search for world peace.

Obama has drawn criticism from Catholic bishops over his stance on abortion.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis has told a group of Catholic doctors that "playing with life" in ways like abortion and euthanasia is sinful, stressing that each human life, no matter the condition, is sacred.

"We're are living in a time of experimentation with life. But a bad experiment... (we're) playing with life," the Pope told an audience of 4,000 Catholic doctors gathered in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on Nov. 15.

"Be careful, because this is a sin against the Creator: against God the Creator."