Pope to join Catholic families for international celebration in Milan

VATICAN CITY - The Archdiocese of Milan, which will host the World Meeting of Families 2012, announced Pope Benedict XVI would spend three days in the northern Italian city in June, celebrating the event's closing Mass, but also attending a concert at the world famous La Scala theater.

The world meeting, to be held May 30-June 3, includes family activities as well as workshops and speeches for theologians and people involved in the pastoral care of families.

The theme of the meeting, co-sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Family, is: "The Family: Work and Celebration."

Pope Benedict will arrive in Milan the afternoon of June 1 and address the city's residents in the main square. Afterward, he will go to La Scala for a concert; organizers did not say what the program would be.

The Pope will pray with priests and religious June 2, meet with city government officials and then preside over the evening of testimony and celebration that traditionally is part of the World Meeting of Families. He will celebrate the closing Mass June 3, then meet with the event's organizers and volunteers before returning to the Vatican.