Chaput: Pope Francis to Philly in 2015

But Vatican says no confirmation is forthcoming.

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[Update 11:50 a.m.] Well, maybe not.

6ABC reports:

A Vatican spokesperson told Action News that, despite reports of Pope Francis coming to Philadelphia in 2015, there has been no confirmation of his travel plans.

The Philadelphia Archdiocese also told Action News there has been no confirmation of the Pope’s visit. In a statement, a spokesperson said:

“There has been no official confirmation by the Vatican or The Holy See of Pope Francis’ attendance at the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. We still expect that any official confirmation will come approximately six months prior to the event.

There’s more to the statement, suggesting that Chaput was speaking out of an abundance of confidence instead of any official confirmation. Ugh. Way to get our hopes up, guys.

[Original] Pope Francis has confirmed he will come to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families in 2015, Catholic Philly reports.

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said Pope Francis has accepted his invitation to attend the World Meeting of Families in the U.S. next year.

Archbishop Chaput made the announcement July 24 before giving his homily during the opening Mass of the Tekakwitha Conference in Fargo.

“Pope Francis has told me that he is coming,” said the archbishop as he invited his fellow Native Americans to the 2015 celebration being held in Philadelphia Sept. 22-27.

“The pope will be with us the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of that week,” he said.

Three days! He’ll totally have a cheesesteak during that time.

Previous coverage of the pope’s trip to Philadelphia next year:

7 Presents Philadelphia Should’ve Given Pope Francis

I’m Agnostic, and I’m Hoping Pope Francis Comes to Philadelphia

VIDEO: Pope John Paul II Arrives in Philadelphia, 1979

10 Places Pope Francis Should Visit When He Comes to Philadelphia in 2015