Papal Visit
Pope delights Philly crowd with spontaneous talk on families
Pope Francis threw away a prepared text and, to the delight of tens of thousands of people on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, spoke from the heart about the challenges and love that come with being part of a family.
Christ plays in 10,000 places, and many times that, in Phila.
Michelle Francl-Donnay finds context of the papal visit in a Jesuit’s poetry and the prophet Jeremiah. From her place among the masses, she saw Christ in the faces of people at the papal Mass.
Visiting prison, pope says all people need forgiveness, cleansing
While pilgrims in Philadelphia put up with a long weekend of lines and security checks at the papal venues, the pope reached out to a group of people whose lives are lines and security checks for years at a time.
Scenes from the papal visit in Philadelphia
See more vignettes from the historic visit of Pope Francis to Philadelphia, including the papal Mass and the pope's stop at St. Joseph's University, in our photo gallery.
Religious freedom a running theme through papal remarks, says archbishop
"He spoke about religious freedom as integral to a transcendent human dignity ... as a fundamental good in society," Archbishop Lori told Catholic News Service in a phone interview Sept. 26 as the Festival of Families that evening was getting underway.
Pope’s message on immigrants shows all how to ‘love more, love better’
Waiting for the pope to arrive at Independence Mall for an afternoon address on immigration Sept. 26, Archbishop Garcia-Siller said it will take people working one-on-one with immigrants to help meet the needs of newcomers.
Pope urges U.S. Catholics to keep enthusiasm, welcome newcomers
In just over five full days in the U.S., Pope Francis reaffirmed the importance of church and family life, pleaded for inclusive attitudes toward immigrants, reiterated the right of religious freedom and called for action on climate change and care for creation.
Pope Francis thanked World Meeting organizers at airport
Pope Francis met with about 400 organizers, supporters and selected volunteers of the World Meeting of Families on Sunday evening, Sept. 27 before departing for Rome -- see our photo gallery.
Crowd at papal Mass reflected on ‘little things’ in big weekend
People grappled with trying describe their experience at the papal Mass Sept. 27 in Philadelphia. They vowed to pray for him, as he asked.
Argentine family on 13,000-mile road trip to Philadelphia to see pope
The Walker family departed Buenos Aires, Argentina, in March. Their goal was to reach Pope Francis and the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, with many stops along the way.