Pope Francis in Cuba, En Route to United States

Written by KARA SEYMOUR (Patch Staff) and SIMONE WILSON (Patch Staff)

The Pope left Saturday Rome and is en route to the United States.

He will stop in Cuba before arriving in Washington, D.C. at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. He will head to New York City on Friday and then to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Here is his itinerary for the New York portion of the trip, according to the Vatican:

Thursday, September 24

• 5 p.m. Arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport
  

• 6:45 p.m. Evening Prayer (Vespers) at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (open only to the Clergy of St. Patrick’s Cathedral)
  

Friday, September 25

• 8:30 am Visit to the United Nations and Address to the United Nations General Assembly (open only to UN officials)
  

• 11:30 am Multi-religious service at 9/11 Memorial and Museum, World Trade Center
  

• 4 p.m. Visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School, East Harlem (open only to a select group of students and administrators from four Catholic schools in New York, and a gym full of Catholic Charities representatives)

• TBD Procession through Central Park
  

• 6 p.m. Mass at Madison Square Garden
  

Saturday, September 26

• 8:40 am Departure John F. Kennedy International Airport
  

New York City and law enforcement officials have yet to issue any official instructions on how to avoid Pope gridlock. (Unlike in New Jersey, where state police drew up an ominous map and issued a statement advising residents ”to treat this event like they would a forecasted snowstorm.”)

However, as a general rule, staying as far away from the above locations within a few hours of the Pope’s arrival and departure is advisable, because traffic could be horrendous.

This city website promises to issue Pope-related transit alerts as they become available.

Here is his itinerary for the Philadelphia portion of his trip:

Saturday, Sept. 26

• 8:40 a.m. Departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport
• 9:30 a.m. Arrival at Atlantic Aviation, Philadelphia
• 10:30 a.m. Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia
• 4:45 p.m. Visit to Independence Mall
• 7:30 p.m. Visit to the Festival of Families Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Sunday, Sept. 27

• 9:15 a.m. Meeting with bishops at at St. Martin’s Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
• 11:00 a.m. Visit to Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility
• 4:00 p.m. Mass for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families, Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• 7:00 p.m. Visit with organizers, volunteers and benefactors of the World Meeting of Families, Atlantic Aviation
• 8:00 p.m. Departure for Rome

Click here for full details about the Pope’s U.S. visit.

Patch Editor Alfred Branch contributed to this report.