Continued… Archbishop Charles Chaputsay that he will probably be riding with the Pope in the “Pope mobile, “but one thing is certain, even though he has a Pennsylvania driver’s license, he’s not expecting to be asked to drive the Pope through town. As far as where the Pope himself will stay in Philadelphia, it would customaril
y be with the Archbishop who lives ata seminary, just outside of the city. But since Pope Francis often does not follow custom, no one is sure yet where he will stay. There are expected to be 10,000 delegates from 150 countries at the World Meeting of Families event. The City has 11,500 hotel rooms, with another 65,000 within a 60 mile radius. Help with housing the expected visitors will be needed from neighboring cities like Baltimore, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Wilmington Delaware. The areas campgrounds and monasteries are also being considered. Some residents say they plan to rent out their houses for a cool profit and clear out of town for the weekend. It’s likely that just as many will wind up hosting weekend-long sleepovers for out-of-town family and friends. Damien Bash owns a four-bedroom home, built in1898, in Philadelphia’s historic Germantown section. It features intricate stonework, hardwood floors and 19th century architectural details. Bash is asking $15,000 for the week, or $2,142 a night for seven nights. He says he arrived at that figure based on what everybody else was asking. Some residents are asking up to $30,000 a week to rent their homes and apartments. Some asking prices fora one-bedroom apartment in the City Center are $10,000 a week and for one with four-bedrooms 19miles from Philadelphia the asking price is $6,000 a week. Donna Farrell, executive director of World Meeting of Families, says “We’re told there are 45 million people within an eight-hour drive of Philadelphia, and it seems like they’re all coming.” The event has signed up 500 people so far willing to offer homes through its Host A Family program, but Farrell said she needs thousands more. There are no limits on rents, though the World Meeting of Families website suggests “a small daily fee” of $40to $100 a night. We live in a freemarketeconomy, as in any marketplace, supply and demand determine the price, but what would Pope Francis say?
to be continued…
Sources : Religious News Service, Los Angeles Times