Numerous families were still standing along Benjamin Franklin Parkway and nearby streets as day turned to night and a stiff breeze challenged parents to keep their children warm, but no one thought of leaving.
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Toward the end of the Mass, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia welcomed Francis to the City of Brotherly Love – which, he said, has waited a long time for his arrival.
Thomas Coorey, a dentist and father of four visiting Philadelphia from Sydney, called Francis “the most inspirational and incredible pope that could breathe life into this church of mine”. Francis said to applause.
There was no mention of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ bruising battles over same-sex marriage or their efforts to carve out legal exemption from a health care law contraception mandate for Church charities and institutions. Francis also said Americans should avoid repeating past mistakes and that people of all faiths should join together to call for respect and dignity of others. But it was not the hard-hitting discussion a few conservative American bishops may have wanted to hear. Instead, he used the occasion to embrace other causes close to his heart.
People rest along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before the Festival of Families, Saturday, September 26, 2015, in Philadelphia.
At mass Saturday before more than 2,000 mostly priest, women religious and deacons, Pope Francis invoked the name of Katharine Drexel, who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. He found a city practically under lockdown, with blocked-off streets and checkpoints manned by police, National Guardsmen and border agents.
But first, Francis will return to the downtown cathedral where he celebrated Mass earlier in the day and transfer to the popemobile for the final 1 1/2 miles to the historic neighborhood.
Philadelphia (CNN)Standing at this city’s iconic Independence Hall, Pope Francis gave a ringing endorsement of religious freedom on Saturday, but his short speech was more notable for what it did not say.
Once inside, Francis delivered a homily in Spanish, during which he said the future of the Catholic Church in the USA requires a much more active role for lay Catholics.
Catholic education has changed in recent years, with fewer religious communities running schools and lay Catholic groups taking over and offering innovative options, which often appeal to non-Catholic families, said Holy Cross Father Timothy Scully, director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame.
But Gentili said religious are “highly regarded” in the five-county archdiocese as well as the church and that was reflected by Pope Francis’ high praise for their dedication and work. By calling for more involvement of women and the laity, he seemed intent on healing one of the major rifts in American Catholicism that has alienated many from the church.
En route to New York’s JFK Airport, where he later departed for Philadelphia, the pontiff asked that his helicopter circle the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. He’s not scripted. He’s relatable.
“I’m cool now”, she said, as the basilica began to fill.
On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood before the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and uttered the most memorable line of his entire presidency: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
– Met with 100 inmates at a city jail, telling them to use their time behind bars to get their lives back on track.
That document has proven controversial in USA politics.
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The seminary’s local archdiocese has been the subject of scrutiny after two grand jury reports in 2005 and 2011 that showed the church had not taken proper action to prevent and the rape and molestation of children by church leaders.
