Pope Francis will visit the European Parliament in Strasburg in November to address a session of the European Parliament. The announcement was made on Thursday morning by the director of the Vatican press office, Fr Federico Lombardi. Pope Francis was invited by the president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz during a visit to the Vatican on October 11th last year during an encounter which commemorated the visit of Pope John Paul II to the European Parliament in October 1988.

Please see below the full text of the statement from the Holy See press office:

I am able to confirm the communiqué issued this morning in Strasbourg by the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, that Pope Francis has accepted the invitation to visit the European Parliament and to address its members during a solemn session. The visit will take place on 25 November