Pope Leo says he wants to visit the U.S. in the next 'couple of years' - UPI.com

Pope Leo XIV speaks as he presides over the "Canticle of Peace" prayer gathering in the gardens of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, Italy, Wednesday. The ecumenical event brought together religious leaders, environmental advocates and musicians to promote ecological responsibility and peace. Photo by Guiseppe Lami/EPA

July 30 (UPI) -- Pope Leo XIV said in an interview that he wants to make a papal visit to the United States "soon," or at least within a "couple of years" but hasn't planned one yet.

The Chicago-native pontiff made the remarks in brief interviews with NBC Nightly News and Noticias Telemundo in the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. The villa is a summer papal residence. He had just finished presiding over the "Canticle of Peace" prayer gathering.

The Wednesday event featured Tenor Andrea Bocelli and the ABF Voices choir, which is composed of 164 children from Israel, Uganda, Haiti and Italy, Vatican News reported.

"They will see me there," Leo said of a trip to the United States. "By coincidence" he said he had been looking at a calendar "for the next couple of years."