2015 World Meeting of Families to be held in Philadelphia

Big news out of Milan today:

Pope Benedict XVI announced this morning at the closing Mass of the seventh World Meeting of Families that the next gathering will be held in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The Pope delivered a short speech after Communion and announced that the 2015 World Meeting of Families will be hosted by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which is led by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.

The international gathering takes place every three years and brings together hundreds of thousands of people to pray, celebrate, and study marriage and family life. This year, pilgrims from 150 countries have come to Milan.

The 2012 event was held in Milan, Italy and featured a Family Fair for those who work in family ministry, a Theological and Pastoral Congress, and a series of speeches delivered by Pope Benedict to families, priests and religious, and to civil authorities.

This edition of the meeting also featured Pope Benedict meeting with all of those children who have received or will receive Confirmation in the Milan archdiocese. The youth met with the Pope in San Siro soccer stadium, in keeping with a tradition that is usually attended only by the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola.

You can read about the pope’s huge Mass in Milan today here.