The Top Ten Suggestions for the Pope as He Starts to Plan His Fall 2015 Trip to Philadelphia

Hamilton and Griffin on Rights
July 29, 2014

http://hamilton-griffin.com/the-top-ten-suggestions-for-the-pope-as-he-starts-to-plan-his-fall-2015-trip-to-philadelphia/

It is not terribly surprising to hear that Pope Francis has chosen to visit Philadelphia during the fall of 2015, when the city will be hosting the 2015 World Meeting of Families.  

Philadelphia is a landmark for the Catholic Church in many ways.  There are roughly 4 million people in Philadelphia and about 1.5 Catholics; no fewer than three major Catholic universities: St. Joseph’s University, Villanova University, and La Salle University; and a blanket of parishes and parochial schools and Catholic high schools. 

Philadelphia also was the home of the remarkable American saint, Sister Katharine Drexel, who was born Catherine Marie Drexel into the wealthy Drexel family, but who chose devotion to the needs of the Native American and African American communities over marriage proposals and money. 

To his credit, Pope Francis has been outspoken about the evils of child sex abuse and the need to bring priest perpetrators and bishops responsible for the coverup to account.  Fittingly, Philadelphia is the American city that knows the most about the Catholic bishops’ coverup.  Why?  Because it is the only American city where the District Attorney’s Office has pursued and published in-depth grand jury investigations into the ways in which the Archdiocese covered up and fostered child sex abuse by its priests.  It is also the only Archdiocese to criminally prosecute a higher-up, Msgr. William Lynn, for his role in the perpetuation of abuse by serial pedophiles.  There is much the Pope can learn here about the betrayal of some of the most loyal Catholics in the world.

Knowing that the Pope will want a people’s tour of Philadelphia and that he will also want to capitalize on this opportunity to understand how the American bishops have failed to protect so many of the Church’s own children, I make the following humble suggestions for his trip.  The Philadelphia region has been my home for 30 years, and I look forward to his arrival.

Handy Reading List

1.   The 2005 Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Grand Jury Report on the Sexual Abuse of Children in the Philadelphia Archdiocese 

2.  The 2011 Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Grand Jury Report on the Sexual Abuse of Children in the Philadelphia Archdiocese 

3.  Benjamin Franklin on Tolerance.  Ben Franklin founded the University of Pennsylvania, which was the first major American university to have no religious affiliation.  He believed in God, but he declined to accord allegiance to any one religion.  Ben was also relentlessly practical and down-to-earth.  I believe the Pope would have liked Ben and vice versa. 

Must-See Sights and Experiences

4.  The Franklin Institute’s new and permanent Your Brain Exhibit, which just opened this summer.  The Franklin Institute is a special place in Philadelphia already, but this exhibit is fascinating and well worth every visitor’s time, even the Pope’s.  

5.   The Barnes Foundation of Philadelphia.  There is no other museum like it, and it houses the largest Renoir collection in the world.  No one should be in Philadelphia without touring this fascinating collection, which is organized by the founder’s eccentric but thought-provoking design.  This is one of those places every leader should visit and experience the insight: yes, it is possible to take micromanagement too far.

6.  Independence Mall. This area of Philadelphia hosts the Liberty Bell and is bookended by Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center.  All three spots should be on any visitor’s list, but most particularly the Pope in his role as the head of a sovereign nation, the Holy See.  It might be particularly appropriate for the National Constitution Center to highlight the First Amendment and the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses for the Pope’s enjoyment and edification.

Must-Eats

7.  Cheesesteaks.  

8.  Philadelphia soft pretzels.   Hint: the best ones are at the airport.

Experiences

9.   A Philadelphia Phillies game.  There is nothing like experiencing the Phillies’ fans’ demands for accountability.  They heartily boo those who do not perform.  It might provide insight for the Pope on why church attendance is so far down following the clergy sex abuse scandal.

10.   Meeting with priest sex abuse survivors and their families.  I hereby offer my home in Bucks County for Pope Francis to meet some of the bravest people I have ever had the privilege to know.  Meet the Baselice and McIlmail and other families, whose sons died far too young, because of the priest sex abuse they suffered.  Meet the survivors who have brought heartbreaking claims against the Archdiocese, but who are bearing (along with their families) the stress and brunt of the American bishops’ heavy investment in lawyers and lobbyists to keep victims out of court. These are good people who did not deserve the hand the Church has dealt them.