Why the Pope Chose Philadelphia?

By Joe Shaheeli
Public Record
September 18, 2015

http://www.phillyrecord.com/2015/09/why-the-pope-chose-philadelphia/


There are as many answers for this one question as one can dream up.

To us, first is the fact the very popular World Meeting of Families will bring on its own several hundred thousand of the faithful.

This city is strategically located on the eastern seaboard. Its cost of living is below those of Washington and New York, places the Pope will also be visiting, and cheaper for those attending. We have an efficient, busy airport on the main stops of all airlines. Railroad lines go into the city’s heart. SEPTA has worked hard to insure maximum passenger traffic will be delivered to Center City for papal events.

South Jersey and our adjacent bedroom counties offer backup for the well over million now anticipated for meeting of World Family of Nations with the announcement of Pope Francis’ visit the same weekend.

Also not to be discounted, but obviously a draw, is the Catholic infrastructure in this town, with schools, parishes, and groups already supplying the volunteer manpower needed.

Then, again, Philly has always been the base for high-powered, highly placed Catholic activists, many of them of Irish extraction and with connections to fellow Irishmen placed in key Vatican positions.

We overheard a conversation over six months ago, unwittingly eavesdropping as we walked along with one of them, all of us converging at the same moment to a political fundraiser at Five Points in the Northeast. The famous Philadelphian was assuring his friend, “Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer, we will get the Pope here in September.”

So we have effective lobbyists working for us with the Vatican. We could use them in Harrisburg.

But look then at the mess the Philadelphia Diocese has been in. A mess that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to settle claims of sexual abuse by gay pedophile priests. Then DA Lynne Abraham released a grand-jury report that had shown the diocesan hierarchy was to blame in the way it handled that era, often sending those priests to other parishes to continue their perversion after parishioners raised the heat and demanded them out. You could trace the responsibility up to the cardinals who led the diocese during that period.

Dismayed Catholics fell away by the thousands, a main reason why parochial attendance dropped, resulting in the merging of parishes, the closing of schools. Confusion ran rampant.

The same problems have occurred around Catholic institutions in other cities. So the Pope could get a better handle or suggest how his leadership in the States should handle what needs to be done.

In came a hard-nosed Archbishop Charles Chaput, who, when exasperated at the slow pace of charge, would tell priests and others, “I wish I were back at the Indian reservation with my people.” He stands to look good, and could earn a cardinalship depending on how this visit and the Families meeting go off. Or he might get his wish.

A lot of bad press has preceded this papal visit. Consternation over papal safety and continued imposition of restrictions of all sorts by the City, the Secret Service, and anyone else with a dead-brain idea, had begun to turn down the expected attendance. Even labor was told months in advance no work on the heavy construction sites in Center City between certain hours and on specific days during this papal visit.

The Building Trades complied. Going above and beyond, the Metropolitan Council of Carpenters, hanging from its huge headquarters, has one of the city’s largest mural canvasses welcoming Pope Francis to Philadelphia with the now-famous papal smile looking over Spring Garden Street traffic. Its leader Ed Coryell has placed the services of thousands of his rank and file as volunteers to help wherever construction was needed by event sponsors.

Then the tourism-promotion gang decided we better ease up and spread the fact, Philadelphia is a great town, with some of the pressure coming down on them from the Pope’s own advance team. Remember the other Pope? Now a saint, Polish Pope John Paul came into Philadelphia, was greeted by several hundred thousand – and caused no problems and no huckstering of papal-event tickets. Mayor Frank Rizzo had a huge cross and stage built by the City, and no one fussed.

This time expect protests to be lodged by dingbats for every little thing they can point to, and say, “See, it cost the City.”

Who cares? Not the businesses, not the hotels, not all the miscellaneous vendors who are happy at this rare occasion, and definitely not the over million who will attend.

So enjoy his visit. Try to attend. But if you are not up to the physical chores to get there, watch it on television.

Banners marking the World Meeting of Families are hanging all around Center City and the areas to be marked by the Pope’s trail. Almost looks Christmassy.

As of now, if you walk into the “box”, you will find plenty of elbow room, meet old friends, make new ones as you all jostle politely to get as close to the action as possible. There will be giant screens, two papal parades; and if you are lucky, they may come your way.

Academy Award-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg will serve as the host for The Festival of Families with Pope Francis on Saturday, Sep. 26 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

In addition to Mr. Wahlberg’s role, it was also announced the 18-time Grammy Award winning “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin, will perform for the Holy Father as will the multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-nominated band, the Fray. Marie Miller, singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and finalist in the 2014 Macy’s iHeartRadio Rising Star Competition, has also been added as a performer. Mr. Wahlberg, Ms. Franklin, The Fray and Ms. Miller join an all-star lineup of musical performers including Andrea Bocelli, Juanes and Tthe Philadelphia Orchestra, all of whom were first announced in June 2015.

Further adding to the excitement of the Festival of Families, The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 also announced several hours of pre-programming on its two stages: the Eakins Oval Stage and the Logan Square Stage. Among the headline performers is New York Times best-selling author and popular comedian Jim Gaffigan, who is executive producer and star of “The Jim Gaffigan Show” which premiered in July 2015 on TV Land and Comedy Central. Also performing is Jackie Evancho, the young soprano from Pittsburgh, Pa. who was runner-up on the fifth season of “America’s Got Talent” and had “Awakening,” her third studio album, debut at #1 on Billboard’s classical charts in July 2014.

We wonder if pols running for office, will use dirigibles or plans to get their non-papal messages across to the papal audience. If they are that dumb, they deserve to lose.

In closing, we congratulate SEPTA for its well-thought-out plans, making it possible to triple the numbers who it will carry to the papal visit area.