Food for Thought

Aug 07, 2015

As summer winds down, the pace in Philadelphia will be just starting to pick up. This year, the city is hosting the World Meeting of Families, which also will coincide with Pope Francis' first visit to the United States.

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has said that the gathering will be "bringing together the best experts we can enlist to address the pastoral, social, economic and cultural challenges that families now face. In the end, our goal is simple. We want to help families strengthen their family life in very practical ways."

Besides celebrating Mass at the event, the pope also will pay visits to the U.S. Congress and the United Nations.

Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said the World Meeting of Families and the pope's trip will be a "precious opportunity to put families at the center of the church and of the world."