Pope Francis holds virtual audience with Americans in Chicago, Texas, LA

Vatican City, Aug 31, 2015 / 18:37 pm

Pope Francis on Monday took part in a virtual audience with a group of Americans, less than a month before his historic trip to the United States.

The event was hosted by ABC News, which made the announcement of the audience Aug. 31. It will air on ABC News' "20/20" at 10:00 p.m. ET Sept. 4 and will be posted online in English and Spanish.

Next month, the Pope will travel to Washington, D.C., New York, and Philadelphia. He will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama, address the United States Congress and the United Nations, and attend the World Meeting of Families, among other events.

The virtual audience allowed the Pope to talk via satellite with people from parts of the country that he will not physically visit on his trip – students at a Chicago inner city school, parishioners from a border town in Texas, and homeless men and women in Los Angeles, according to ABC.

The network released a preview clip of the Pope addressing Americans.

"For me, it is very important to meet with all of you, the citizens of the United States, who have your history, your culture, your virtues, your joys, your sadness, your problems, like everyone else," the Holy Father said, adding that "this trip is important for me to draw close to you in your path, your history."