vatican corner
Continued… Archbishop Chaput of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia says that so far church organizers have raised $33 million of their $45 million goal for the World Meeting of Families event, of which Pope Francis will be attending the closing ceremonies. Most of the funds will go to crowd security and event cleanup. He said “Those are very expensive things to do with such a big crowd.”
Organizers have announced that the US Department of Homeland Security is taking the lead in all security arrangements for the events. The federal government has declared the Pope’s visit and activities leading up to his arrival a “national security special event.” That
means multiple governmental agencies will be bringing their many resources to Philadelphia. The Secret Service is in charge of all security, the FBI is tasked with intelligence gathering
and investigation of any terrorism threats or other major criminal activities. The Papal Swiss Guard, Vatican Police and Phil
adelphia Police will also coordinate to ensure the safety of the Pope and the public.
Philadelphia will be following the well-worn plan for managing large events that they use each Fourth July when approximately one million people pack the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to attend the free holiday concert. A spokesman for the City said “certainly, the numbers will be greater, but the framework is there and we feel confident that we will be able to manage this aspect of planning.”
As the host for Pope Francis during his visit to Philadelphia, Archbishop Chaput will have a very special privilege. “I actually get to ride in the Popemobile with him,” Chaput said. “That’s how close I’m gonna be in the situation.” “I don’t know exactly where I’m going to be seated but they tell me I’m supposed to accompany him in all the venues here in Philadelphia because I’m the host, and that’s a great privilege. I’ve never done that before” and “I’ll be standing next to the Pope during the mass,” Chaput said. The Vatican has given its blessing to a fund raiser. The vanilla ice cream and shortbread cookie milkshake called “#PopeinPhilly” will benefit the events in Philadelphia. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia the president of the Vatican department that organizes the world meetings picked the winning flavor from three choices during a recent visit to a Potbelly Sandwich Shop in. Philadelphia. Paglia got help from a dozen Catholic school students.
To be continued …
Sources: NBC10.com, philadelphia.cbslocal.com