Pope Francis departs for Rome

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Pope Francis’ plane has taken off from Philadelphia as his 10-day trip to Cuba and the United States comes to a close.

The private American Airlines plane took off Sunday night hours after Francis celebrated Mass for hundreds of thousands of people in downtown Philadelphia.

The Mass capped a day that included his speaking with sex abuse survivors and jail inmates. It was the culmination of a trip that also featured addresses to Congress and the United Nations.

The 78-year-old spent six days with packed itineraries in Washington, New York and Philadelphia after a four-day visit to Cuba.

Francis announced Sunday night that the next World Meeting of Families will be in 2018 in Dublin. The event in Philadelphia this week was the original reason he came on the trip.