



Sen. Bernie Sanders has accepted an invitation to speak at the Vatican for a conference on social justice next week. The April 15 event, which will be hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, is scheduled to cover a number of the Democratic presidential hopeful’s signature campaign issues, including income inequality and the environment.

NEW: @BernieSanders invited to speak at the Vatican: ‘I am a big, big fan of the Pope’ https://t.co/H3hsF1W5te — Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) April 8, 2016

Sanders’ appearance at Vatican City will come just days before the New York primary on April 19.

“I am delighted to have been invited by the Vatican to a meeting on restoring social justice and environmental sustainability to the world economy,” Sanders announced in a statement on Friday.

“Pope Francis has made clear that we must overcome ‘the globalization of indifference’ in order to reduce economic inequalities, stop financial corruption, and protect the natural environment. That is our challenge in the United States and in the world.”