Philadelphia-area Catholics excited about pope's visit

WILMINGTON, Del. — Catholics are cheering after Pope Francis confirmed he will visit Philadelphia next year for a global conference on families.

Francis said Monday that he will attend the World Meeting of Families, an inter-religious celebration of family scheduled for Sept. 22-27. It will be his first visit to the United States as pontiff, and mark only the fourth time a pope has visited the country.

Francis, the chief religious leader of the world's more than 1.2 billion Catholics, is expected to attend the event's closing ceremonies and to give a papal mass on Sept. 27 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Both events are open to the public, and massive crowds are expected.

"I think it's important not only that the Holy Father will be there leading his flock and speaking and proclaiming the gospel, but that we will have so many other people there who are happy to celebrate their faith," said Francis Malooley, bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington. "It brings a certain cohesiveness, lets us see the joyful side of what it means to be a follower of Jesus."

When John Paul II celebrated Mass on the parkway in 1979, he drew an estimated 1 million people.

The pontiff is also scheduled to address the United Nations and Congress while on his visit to the U.S.

Malooley was in Baltimore in 1995 when John Paul visited there. He said the event was a major source of spiritual renewal for local churches, reaffirming Catholics' joy in their faith.

The bishop says this particular pope is especially likely to have such an impact because of the personality he has brought to the office.

"The way Pope Francis carries himself, he seems always full of joy and humility," Malooley said. "When you have the leader of the religion who sets such a tone and an example, I think that carries over."

James Greenfield, the provincial of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales who lives in Wilmington, had a 50-minute meeting with Pope Francis last May as part of his responsibilities. He said he expected the pontiff to do most of the talking, but instead found Francis spent most of his time asking questions and listening.

"He is an incredibly engaging, hospitable and inquisitive man," Greenfield said. "He is genuinely curious about who people are and where they come from. I think he's really fascinated about our country and that one of the big things he is going to do here is learn as much about us as he can."

Greenfield says one of Francis' main messages to Catholics is the importance of "personal encounters" — encouraging the faithful to "go out into the world, serve and spread the joy of the Gospel."

Combined with his humble and personal style, that has made him wildly popular. Greenfield said more people come to see his Wednesday audiences than did so for his two predecessors combined.

"When I was there in October, there were 100,000 people in St. Peter's Square. He gets these crowds every week," Greenfield said. "There's just something about his personality that attracts people. You just know that, if he could, he would talk to everyone in that square."

Shirley Bounds, principal at St. Elizabeth High School, has a poster of Francis that a friend brought back to her from Rome. It shows Benedict grinning and giving a thumbs-up.

"That picture has really connected with the kids," Bounds said. "When was the last time you saw a pope who would give you a thumbs-up?"

Bounds said Francis is especially popular with her students because of his efforts to re-energize young Catholics, frequently giving talks aimed directly at them.

"He tells teenagers that they are the face of the church and they need to be engaged," Bounds said. "And the way he does it, it's not condescending at all, but seems very real, very genuine."

Annalis Lopez, a St. Elizabeth senior, said she is planning to go to Philadelphia to see him no matter how difficult it will be to get through the crowds.

"I told my mom — that's not going to stop me from meeting such a great leader," Lopez said. "Uniting with all of those people of faith to hear him profess his faith will be such a bonding experience."

Philadelphia officials have been lobbying for the pontiff to visit the conference for months, with Mayor Michael Nutter and Gov. Tom Corbett visiting the Vatican in March.