More Details About Pope’s Visit Emerge

As September draws closer, more details of Pope Francis’ itinerary are beginning to emerge. The pope will be in Philadelphia as part of a United States visit for the World Meeting of Families. Reports say that the pontiff might visit either a children’s hospital or a juvenile detention facility. These are only the newest details to leak regarding Francis’ landmark visit, the first he’ll be making to the United States since he ascended to the papacy in March 2013.

The pope’s visit will be a landmark event for Philadelphia.

So far, we know a few things about the visit. Pope Francis will make two appearances on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. One will happen on Saturday, September 26th when he attends the “Festival of Families.” He will also lead Mass at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art the next day, his only large public Mass in America outside of the World Meeting of Families. As Philadelphia is the site of the Meeting, the pope wants to keep the focus on that city, say representatives.

According to Archbishop Bernardito Auza, a representative of the Vatican and “permanent observer of the Holy See to the United States,” has been communicating details of the papal visit.

Francis will visit Washington, D.C. and New York City before coming to Philadelphia. While in the former he plans to visit the White House, the Capitol building, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of Immaculate Conception. In NYC he will visit the United Nations, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the Ground Zero memorial.

News stories have been emerging that the pope’s visit is already playing havoc with the travel plans of visitors who expected to come into town in late September, and stymieing couples whose planned wedding dates will fall during the event. This is because just about every hotel in town is either booked up or has been blocked out for visiting officials and dignitaries. It’s believed that two million people alone will attend the papal Mass.