Chances for Francis souvenirs abound with papal visit memorabilia

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Want a piece of the papal visit?  Well the World Meeting of Families is offering a number of souvenirs to commemorate the pontiff’s September trip to Philadelphia.

If you are seeking a plush mini pope, or a cardboard cutout of Pope Francis or a signature T-shirt, you will find plenty of wares at the World Meeting of Families website.  

Eric Foss of Aramark, the company handling the marketing of the event, said the company is offering items of many differing prices.

“Anybody who wants to engage, to have a commemorative item from this event will be able to,” Foss said.

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Donna Farrell, who heads up the World Meeting of Families, said the money earned from merchandise will help offset the $45 million it’s costing to host the meeting and the pope.

“The retail, we won’t disclose the dollar figure we expect to raise, [but] it will be significant, and it will be used to defray the cost,” Farrell said.

An estimated 2 million people are expected to flock to Philadelphia to see Pope Francis celebrate Mass in front of the Art Museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

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