ALERT: SITE OF NEXT WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES TO BE ANNOUNCED AT FINAL MASS IN PHILADELPHIA!
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POPE FRANCIS VERY “MOVED” IN IMPROMPTU FLIGHT OVER ELLIS ISLAND, STATUE OF LIBERTY
Just before leaving New York for Philadelphia on Saturday morning, Pope Francis flew over the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants first set foot on American soil.
In a briefing for journalists in Philadelphia, Fr Federico Lombardi said the Pope travelled by helicopter from Downtown Manhattan to JFK airport, accompanied by the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan who pointed out the famous landmarks. The small island in the bay of New York, was the gateway for immigrants from all over the world who passed through the nation’s busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. (photo: news.va)
News reports quote Cardinal Dolan, who was on the papal helicopter, as saying that Pope Francis requested the detour, asking to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the gateway for millions of immigrants to the U.S. – and the busiest port of entry for immigrants – from 1892 until 1954. The cardinal said the Pope appeared very “commosso” – very “moved” by the sight. The Pope’s family, in fact, was an immigrant family, migrating to Argentina from their native Italy. Migration and immigrants have been important themws for the Holy Father in his papacy.
Fr. Lombardi also told journalists the Pope went into the cockpit of the plane headed for Philadelphia to watch the pilots coming into land on the last leg of his week-long U.S. visit.
The director of the Holy See press office said at times Pope Francis finds the action-packed schedule for the visit tiring, exacerbated by the pain in his legs, for which he receives regular physiotherapy.
Looking ahead to the key events that will mark the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, Fr Lombardi said the focus on the family has been a primary goal of the 10-day journey. He noted the Pope has spoken about the subject in Santiago de Cuba, at the White House, to the American bishops, to Congress and to the United Nations. (sources: Vatican Radio, AP).
SECRET SERVICE BEEFS UP SECURITY IN PHILADELPHIA
News reports say that while security was massive in Washington, DC and New York City, people in both cities were still fairly able to move around. However, there seemed to be a notable build up of security in Philadelphia:
AP reports that “heightened security for Pope Francis’ weekend visit remade downtown Philadelphia into a fortified and largely deserted pedestrian mall Friday, with the usual bustle of commuters giving way to anxious anticipation. Concrete barriers, steel fencing and rows of portable toilets lined streets in the vehicle-free zone that went up overnight around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where Francis will participate in a festival Saturday and celebrate Mass on Sunday.
Walking to some areas required passing through airport-style metal detectors, where agents were flagging banned items, such as pocket knives and shaving cream canisters, or walking several blocks out of the way to avoid the security zone. Packs of pilgrims in colorful shirts dotted the sidewalks. On an empty Market Street, downtown’s primary thoroughfare, a man threw a football to friends and people posed for selfies. In some places, law enforcement outnumbered civilians.
Channel 6 Actio News reports: Security continues to get tighter in Center City ahead of the pope’s arrival in Philadelphia. Deadlines are looming for road, highway and bridge closures in Philadelphia and parts of the surrounding area.
“It’s necessary, so that’s what we have to do,” said Claire Martini of West Chester, Pa. Homeland Security is using an underground garage as a staging area across the street from the cathedral. It’s just one of the many signs that security is the primary consideration here. The fencing that’s going up seemingly everywhere is the most visible reminder that it’s anything but business as usual. Eventually, eight-foot tall fencing will close in the event perimeter along the Parkway and beyond. Concrete barriers for the secure vehicle perimeter were out as well. Starting at 6 a.m. Friday, metal detectors will be in place and only residents and business owners will be allowed in. Longtime residents like Tim McLaughlin appreciate the need for security, but he thinks it’s overkill. “I’ve never seen the city closed down the way it has been,” he said. “I think it’s good for security and stuff like that but I think enough is enough.” Security experts say it is necessary post in this post 9/11 world. Mark Camillo has been a high ranking Secret Service and Homeland Security agent. He says crowd size dictates the extraordinary security measures. “The crowd size is probably what’s at the top of the list of concerns. It’s about protecting the crowd from the crowd,” Camillo said. Some reports note that many faithful, including numbers of priests, have been turned away, even though they had proper identification and tickets for the papal events. In many cases, the public simply had no way of knowing that numerous access points would close at designated hours.
Fr. Frank Pavone, head of Priests for Life, wrote the following in an email entitled, “No one saw this coming”: Without warning, the Secret Service decided to ‘update the security plan’ for Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia and they shut down all the exhibit booths that were set up in the Marketplace area of the World Meeting of Families … including our Priests for Life booth. You see, the arrival of the Pope to Philadelphia has been preceded by a four-day conference filled with liturgy, praise, teaching, and hundreds of exhibitors from the best Catholic apostolates in the world. Like everyone else, we were blindsided by the announcement that the exhibitors had to pack up their booths a day early.”
Father then referred to the costs involved in a booth and the money that would be lost by the main apostolates involved. Each booth, for example, cost $1,500 for the entire period of the World Meeting of Families – September 22-27 – and there is no sign that that money, or a portion thereof, would be refunded. Exhibitors such as makers of religious items, publishers of Catholic books and spiritual reading, (such as EWTN) etc. also faced costs to have their merchandise delivered to Philadelphia.
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