Pope Francis seems to take a childlike delight in surprising, even shocking, the audience he speaks to, so it seems foolhardy even to presume what he might say. Let’s agree, then, to be surprised.

Still, we do know the main purpose of his visit to the United States is to speak at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. It would be more than surprising if the pope did not devote a large part of his message in the United States to the dire situation of the family today.

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