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Preparations For Pope's Trip To US Were Underway For Months

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Preparing for a Papal visit is no easy feat. Preparations for Pope Francis' trip to the United States have been underway for quite some time.

Jessica Kartalija spoke with the Pope's media attache, who has been coordinating the Pope's first ever media visit to the US for months.

Invited by the Vatican to serve as part of the Holy See press office, 56-year-old Father Thomas Rosica will be in the spotlight this week when the Pope arrives in Washington DC. WJZ has the unique opportunity to talk with Father Rosica about the Pope's plans, including his meeting with Congress.

"It's an extraordinary privilege that he is addressing this special session of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It's the first time a Pope has ever been invited to do that," he said. "There's a lot of buzz about the potential topics."

And there are a lot of potential topics.

"Certainly to address the big questions of immigration, the economy, the role of the American church to the rest of the world, of the importance of the practice of the faith, the role of families," he said. "There is really, as you mentioned, no way of knowing what he will be talking about until he actually addresses them in person."

READ: What You Need To Know About The Pope's Visit To DC | LIVE BLOG | More Pope News

Father Rosica hopes people will pay attention.

"As we all know, Pope Francis is notorious for deviating from the text now and then so we should all be ready, listening and waiting," he said.

The Pope will also visit Catholic University.

"A Mass taking place, a canonization taking place and a very special scripture reading chosen for the day and the Pope's reflection or homily will take into account all of these things. The message is really tailor-made for the church in the United States," he said.

The Pope will arrive in DC on Tuesday.

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