Vatican Officials: Pope To Make First US Visit In 2015

  When the Vatican officially confirmed in Rome on Monday that Pope Francis will visit Philadelphia in late September, phones rang throughout the Philadelphia region.

  With three little words, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter summed up the feelings of many officials who received those calls in the wee hours of the morning.

  “This is big,” Nutter said.

  Gov. Tom Corbett’s wife, Susan, concurred, saying it isn’t often that a phone call at 3:30 a.m. brings good news.

  The mayor, Susan Corbett, civic leaders and officials of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia hosted a news conference at the Philadelphia Museum of Art later Monday morning to answer questions about the upcoming visit. Hundreds of Catholic school students formed a pep rally for the event.

  The pope expects to visit Philadelphia Sept. 26 and 27, the last two days of the World Meeting of Families, which begins Sept. 22 and includes a variety of guest speakers and workshops at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

  The pope is expected to participate in a Festival of Families on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sept. 26 and then celebrate a papal Mass on the parkway Sept. 27, said Donna Farrell, executive director of the World Meeting of Families. She estimated the number of people who would come for the events as “staggering ... We expect there will be millions.”

  “This will be the largest event in the city’s modern history,” Nutter said. It also will be Francis’ first visit to America as pope. He is expected to attract millions of people to the region, including visitors from Pope Francis’ native Argentina as well as other countries in South America.

  “I’m looking forward to welcoming them to the most welcoming city in America,” Nutter said.

  Archbishop Charles Chaput could not attend the press conference because he was in Rome. In a statement, he said, “Today is a day of great joy for our archdiocese, our city, our commonwealth and our country ... It is the answer to the countless prayers of so many people who have asked God to guide Pope Francis to Philadelphia.” Chaput added that it was a privilege to be with the pope in Rome when he confirmed he was coming to the World Meeting of Families.

  The papal visit may also include stops in Washington, D.C., and New York, but how they will fit into his itinerary has not yet been announced.

  Daniel J. Hilferty, president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross and the event’s co-chair, said the budget for the event is $45 million, about half of which the archdiocese has already raised. Robert J. Ciaruffoli, of the CPA firm of Baker-Tilly, is the president of World Meeting of Families. He noted that planning for a “flawless” series of events is already underway.

  Nutter said the city is prepared to address security and safety concerns as it frequently hosts President Barack Obama and other dignitaries, but he acknowledged that the World Meeting could include more than a million visitors. The city is working with a variety of federal and state agencies as well as the Vatican and Italian governments to ensure a safe visit for all, the mayor said.

  Bucks County residents were overjoyed to hear the news.

  “I’m thrilled. I love him,” said Mary Cordero as she left morning Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church in Lower Makefield.

  “It will be a blessing for the archdiocese and the country,” added Deacon James Hartmann at St. John. “He is a man of compassion. He’s trying to get the church back to that ideal. He’s reaching out to all people, not just Catholics.”

  The Rev. Robert Ianelli, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Buckingham, said Francis has great appeal to people of different backgrounds.

  “He’s a great witness for the Gospel,” he said.

  Across the Delaware River in Trenton, Bishop David O’Connell also welcomed the news of the papal visit.

  “The faithful of the Diocese of Trenton are most excited by (Monday’s) joy-filled news that Pope Francis will take part in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next year. We look forward to celebrating with our neighbors to the west, and indeed all attendees from around the globe, both the Holy Father’s visit, and the extraordinary value that the overall experience promises to provide,” O’Connell said. “Archbishop Charles Chaput has been assured of our interest and support, and we are happy for whatever part we can play in this truly worthwhile endeavor.”

  Auxiliary Bishop John McIntyre of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said the archdiocese will need 8,000 to 10,000 volunteers and would welcome support from neighboring dioceses like Trenton as well as from other religious congregations.

  The World Meeting of Families is sponsored by the Holy See every three years “to strengthen the sacred bonds of family across the globe and highlight its intrinsic to the good of society,” the archdiocese explained in announcing the pope’s visit.

  For more information on the event or to sign up as a host family for visitors to the region, visit www.worldmeeting2015.org.