PHILADELPHIA -- People poured in by the thousands on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, jockeying for a position as close as possible to Pope Francis when he holds Mass Sunday afternoon, his final public appearance in the United States before boarding a plane to Rome later tonight.
By 3:15 p.m., the pope could be seen on large screen TVs, making his way around in the pope mobile to deafening cheers from the massive crowd.
The pope had started his morning with seminarians and bishops from around the world. During his speech at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, he promised to take action against sex predators in the Roman Catholic church and went on to praise American bishops for their handling of the sex abuse scandal, which angered some abuse victims who say the pope neglected to acknowledge their anguish.
After meeting with Bishops, he headed to Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the largest prison facility in Philadelphia. There he was scheduled to meet with inmates, family members and prison staff.
As he made those visits, thousands waited in the cool air for the late afternoon mass.
Angela Montagno found a spot beside a metal barricade. A parishioner at Christ the King in Atlanta, she spread out a blanket and prepared to wait. Surely, she said, the pope had important things to say.
She believes Francis is a good pope – not one who will profoundly change the Catholic Church, as some have said, but instead a leader who can stir change in the hearts of believers.
‘He’s a good example of how people ought to act,” said Montagno, who lives in Brookhaven.
Montagno smiled and threw her arms wide. “There’s a lot of hype here,” she said. “It’s the pope! And he’s in Philadelphia!”
The New York Times contributed to this report.
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