Francis will be in town on September 26 and 27. Prisoners were picked based on work ethic, skill and reliability. He meets frequently with inmates and on two occasions washed prisoners’ feet during pre-Easter rituals. In July, he visited a notorious Bolivian prison where he urged inmates to help one another and exhorted staff to rehabilitate prisoners, not humiliate them. He hopes to see the pontiff enjoy the finished product but isn’t sure how the chair will be presented to him. “So I’m happy”. Soon, it will be sent to nearby Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility to be upholstered by other inmates.
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Additionally, officials say 40 jumbotrons will be strategically placed across the Francis Festival grounds. It can be found on the website of the World Meeting of Families, which the pope is attending.
City officials unveiled a new campaign at a press conference on Wednesday titled “I’ll Be There”, which they say aims to energize and excite residents and businesses for the upcoming World Meeting of Families and Papal visit.
When Pope Francis visits Philadelphia later this month, many will flock to see him when he stops by Independence Mall or during his mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
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“Families are often the “collateral damage” of incarceration and [Pope Francis’] request to include these families shows his deep understanding of this dynamic”, said Louis Giorla, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Prison System, in the release.
