Vatican confirms Pope Francis visit to Cuba ahead of U.S.

HAVANA, April 22 (UPI) -- The Vatican announced on Wednesday that Pope Francis will make a stop in Cuba in September before his scheduled visit to the United States.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, confirmed the visit in a statement, but said details are still being finalized.

"I am able to confirm that the Holy Father Francis, having received and accepted the invitation from the civil authorities and bishops of Cuba, has decided to pay a visit to the island before his arrival in the United States for the trip announced some time ago," Lombardi wrote.

Pope Francis' itinerary for his first papal visit to the United States in September will include stops in Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C.

The papal trip to Cuba marks a continuation of Francis' outreach to the country. In December, the pope's diplomatic skills were credited with helping the United States and Cuba to "initiate a new phase in relations." President Barack Obama announced on Dec. 17 the beginning of the normalization of relations between the two countries.

Italian Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy and former papal nuncio to Cuba, will travel to Cuba April 22-28 for an 80th anniversary celebration of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Cuba. Stella arranged the first-ever papal visit to Cuba when Pope John Paul II traveled there in 1998. Pope Benedict XVI visited Cuba in 2012.

JC Finley contributed to this report.