People sing during Sunday Mass led by Pope Francis on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in September 2015. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)
From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!
In 2015, Pope Francis descended on Philadelphia for a historic weekend.
On an altar on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with a backdrop of the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pope Francis spoke about faith, holiness and acts of generosity.
“Love is shown by little things,” he said. “Faith grows when it is practiced and shaped by love.”
He said the importance of small signs of compassion, like a warm supper, saying a blessing before bed or a hug after a hard day’s work, can get lost in day-to-day activities.
During the Mass, throngs of Catholics and non-Catholics knelt in prayer along the Parkway.
Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the Parkway for Mass. Hundreds of thousands of communion wafers, prepared by nuns in Bucks County, were doled out for the occasion.
The pope’s visit — and his encouragement to remember the traditions each immigrant family brings with them to their new country — resonated with Spanish-speaking parishioners in Chester County. The visit also included a stop at Philadelphia’s Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, where Pope Francis delivered a message of hope to people incarcerated there.
Before departing to Rome, the pontiff addressed then-Vice President Joe Biden and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter at Philadelphia International Airport, saying his two-day visit was of “great grace” for him.
“Please know that as I prepare to leave,” the pope said, “I do so with a heart full of gratitude and hope.”
He also asked Biden to extend his gratitude and prayers to then-President Barack Obama and Congress. “This land has been blessed with tremendous gifts and opportunities,” said the pope. “I pray that you may all be good and generous stewards of the human and material resources entrusted to you.”
“May our days together bear fruit that will last, generosity and care for others that will endure!”
Get daily updates from WHYY News!
Sign up