Pope Francis Meets Victims Of US Clergy Abuse

“It was awesome, ” said the Willowick resident. “Who am I to pray for the pope?”

Vicky Carroscia of Wickliffe jumped up and down and waved when she saw the pope drive by in his popemobile. Many of you have emigrated to this country at great personal cost, but in the hope of building a new life.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia organized the conference, hoping for a badly needed infusion of papal joy and enthusiasm amid shrinking membership, financial troubles and one of the worst clergy sex-abuse scandals to hit a USA diocese.

Colleen Feldmann, of Fallsington, Pa., center, and Sister Donna with Missionaries of Charity in India, right, cheer as Pope Francis arrives at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Saturday, September 26, 2015, in Philadelphia.

The huge outdoor Mass today will be on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway just before the pope flies back to Rome.

“It was exciting. I always wanted to see the pope”.

“That was so absolutely flawless for this unbelievably common man put in to this place of power, ” she said. “It’s very human”.

Pope Francis hugs an unidentified member of a Ukrainian family… The roads were not paved, they were covered with dust, and little stones would get stuck in your sandals. Francis was in their ears, as well.

There had been fears that visitors might be scared away by the security, and, in fact, train ridership was lower than expected, some streets were eerily quiet, and a vendor of pope sunglasses cut his price from $15 to $10 for lack of business. You are their voice, and many of you have faithfully made their cry heard.

The pope spoke from the lectern used by President Abraham Lincoln for his famed 1863 Gettysburg Address after the bloodiest battle of the U.S. Civil War that declared that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth”. Some spoke to him in Spanish.

Conway, an accomplished artist in his own right as a skilled pianist and experienced conductor who has toured the nation and other parts of the world, said he was uniquely excited about this opportunity.

She said the intense attention to his speeches here could inspire people to “begin to think more about what Catholicism really means”. “They’re having this big meeting of families”.

The inmates built a chair for Francis as a gift.

The pontiff told those listening to his speech that we should remind the American democracy of the ideals on which the country was founded and that “society is weakened whenever any injustice prevails”. “Families have difficulties. In families we quarrel”.

The program was trimmed after it ran more than an hour late and Francis ditched his prepared remarks to instead deliver an off-the-cuff monologue on families and God’s love. The stage barely was visible except to ticket holders, which the Mount Carmel group did not have.

Francis was most animated and drew the loudest response when he addressed Latino-Americans, greeting them with “particular affection”. A few struggled to walk more than a mile to reach their bus.

Ruiz, a former Catholic priest who is now a Lutheran minister, said the pontiff’s message and stance on immigration puts a face on the issue, which has become a political football in recent months as we move toward the 2016 presidential election.

“This will require creativity in adapting to changed situations, carrying forward the legacy of the past not primarily by maintaining our structures and institutions, which have served us well, but above all by being open to the possibilities which the Spirit opens up to us and communicating the joy of the Gospel, daily and in every season of our life”, the pope said.