UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the announcement that Pope Francis would visit the United Nations on the morning of September 25 to address the UN General Assembly.
In a statement, the UN also said the Pope would meet separately with the secretary-general and with the president of the General Assembly and would participate in a town hall gathering with UN staff.
Ban noted that the Pope's visit came during the United Nations' 70th anniversary, in which its members would make decisions about sustainable development, climate change and peace. He said he was confident the Pope's visit would inspire the international community to redouble its efforts for social justice, tolerance and understanding.
The UN did not release the detailed itinerary for the meetings, part of a larger papal visit to Washington, New York and Philadelphia. The Vatican is expected to release the official itinerary about two months in advance of the trip, unless local officials release it earlier.
In February, House Speaker John Boehner announced that Pope Francis will address a joint meeting of Congress on 24 September, making him the first Pope to do so.
The Archdiocese of Washington said it would host the Pope for his visit, but did not announce dates. On his flight from the Philippines to Rome in January, Pope Francis said he would canonize Blessed Junipero Serra at Washington's Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
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