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Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will head to Vatican City just days before the New York primary to attend a meeting on social justice and economic issues.

Sanders announced Friday morning that he will attend the conference, which will be hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on April 15.

Sanders, who would be the first Jewish U.S. president, said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he was invited by the Vatican to attend the event. While he acknowledged that he disagrees with the Catholic Church's teachings on some social issues, such as gay marriage, he praised Pope Francis for "injecting a moral consequence into the economy."

"People think Bernie Sanders is a radical, (but) read what the Pope is writing," he said.

Sanders, who has won six of the last seven nominating contests in the Democratic race, is aiming to continue cutting into rival Hillary Clinton's significant lead in delegates.

New York's primary, where Clinton is currently favored, will be held on April 19, just days after Sanders travels to Rome.