Pope Francis is the 266th pope in the Roman Catholic church and this will be his first visit to the United States. He is the first Jesuit pope, as well as the first pope from the Americas. If you're still wondering what "the magis" is, it's Pope Francis.
Here are some things you should know before he arrives in Philadelphia on Friday as well as events you’ll be able to attend (if you’re prepared to brave the crowds of up to 1.5 million people, that is).
Center City and West Philadelphia Traffic Boxes
Mayor Nutter announced that there will be two papal “traffic boxes” going into affect on Friday, September 25th. The Center City traffic box will be starting at 6 p.m. and the West Philadelphia traffic box will be starting at 10 p.m. This means that you can drive out of the traffic box, but you cannot drive back into it. You are able to drive within the traffic boxes, as long as you stay within the boundaries.
Whether you live on campus or in Manayunk, this will affect your travel for the entire weekend.
What is the Francis Festival?
The day long Festival of Families will be Saturday, September 26th starting at 12:45 p.m. This will take place on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in front of the Art Museum and will include food, beverage, and retail vendors. Mark Whalberg will be hosting a free outdoor concert where Aretha Franklin, Andrea Bocelli, and the Philadelphia Orchestra will be performing (same place, different lineup than Made in America just three weeks later, and it's free!). Pope Francis is scheduled to attend the Festival on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. to enjoy the shows.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Franklin Institute will have special exhibits. Other activities planned include a family 5K run and bus tours of Catholic shrines in the area. There will also be a World Meeting of Families Film Festival from the 22nd- 25th at The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts.
Visit to Independence Mall
The pope will be visiting Independence Mall at 4:45 p.m. during the Festival of Families. He will be speaking about religious freedom and immigration from the same podium that Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address. If you have a ticket to this event and feel like pushing through a crowd of 50,000 you may be able to get a glimpse of Pope Francis riding the popemobile!
Mass on Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Pope Francis will say a mass that's open to the public on Sunday, September 27th at 4 p.m. It will take place on Benjamin Franklin Parkway with a ticket-only area from 20th Street to Eakins Oval. There will be around 40 Jumbotrons placed throughout the city, so that the public in the non-ticketed area will be able to view the mass.
If you're planning on attending the events of the pope's visit this weekend, make sure you plan ahead and research ways to get there as only certain Septa stations will be open and tickets to these stations and the weekend's events have already been given out. If you're leaving for the weekend, check out the road closures so you can plan your escape route.
Keep your fingers crossed he'll make a surprise visit to Saint Joe's after his stay at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, less than mile away from campus!
