PHILADELPHIA (PA)/ROME
Religion News Service
Mary Beth McCauley | Mar 25, 2014
PHILADELPHIA (RNS) If the pope were pitched visits the way cities pitch the Olympics, Philadelphia would not be in the running.
Charles J. Chaput, archbishop of Philadelphia, with Pope Francis in Rome in September 2013. Photo courtesy of Vatican Information Services/Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput’s Facebook page
This image is available for Web publication. For questions, contact Sally Morrow.
The Roman Catholic archdiocese is financially teetering and wholly demoralized. Parishes and schools have closed, real estate has been sold, the lavish archbishop’s residence unloaded.
It’s been the subject of two separate grand juries investigating priest sexual abuse, and home to the first senior church official to be indicted on charges of failing to protect children.
Yet despite these troubles, an elite delegation consisting of the archbishop, the city’s mayor, the governor and several top CEOs arrived in Rome on Monday (March 24) to invite the pope to visit Philadelphia.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.