Minnesota Mayor Puzzled by Invite to See Pope in Washington

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) - A Minnesota mayor is puzzled how he got an invitation from the White House to see Pope Francis.

Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede is not Roman Catholic - he's Lutheran.

Last month, Brede got an email inviting him to see the pope during his visit to the U.S. The mayor called the contact number and was told the invite came from the White House.

On Monday, Brede received a follow-up phone call from the White House Intergovernmental Affairs office upgrading him to VIP status, getting him even closer to the pope.

Brede says the invitation is "a mystery." But he says he's going and will spend his own money for the two-day trip.

The mayor says it will be "very inspirational" just to be in the pope's presence.