Pope arrives in Philadelphia

After speeches to Congress and the United Nations earlier this week aimed at spurring world leaders toward bold action on immigration and the environment, the Pope was expected to focus more on ordinary Catholics during his two-day visit to Philadelphia.

His plane touched down at the Philadelphia airport, bringing him to the "City of Brotherly Love" with blocked-off streets, checkpoints manned by police, and jubilant crowds anticipating his arrival. A Catholic high school band played the theme song from the Philadelphia-set movie "Rocky" as Francis left the airport.

But at the sight of a child in a wheelchair close to the security barrier, the 78-year-old Argentine pontiff got out of the car and walked over to bless the child. He said a few words to the child's mother, who appeared moved almost to tears.

Francis then headed straight by motorcade to the downtown Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul to celebrate a mass for about 1,600 people, some of whom slept in the street overnight. A late-afternoon speech in front of Independence Hall, where America's Founding Fathers had signed the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, was also part of his itinerary for Saturday.

The weekend's visit is due to culminate in an outdoor mass on Sunday evening, where the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics is expected to face a crowd of one million people.

Unprecedented security measures

Filipina Opena, 46, from LaMirada, California, came to Philadelphia to see the pontiff. She said that many people felt Francis was sincere and genuine.

"He has a magnetic personality that not only appeals to Catholics, but to the universal masses. He's not scripted. He's relatable. His heart, in itself, you can see that reflected through his message," Opena said.

Tony Coletta, a 62-year-old surgeon and CEO of a health care company outside Philadelphia, nabbed an aisle seat at the cathedral where Francis was celebrating mass on Saturday. He said he and his wife, Karen, were "Francis groupies."

"The church has had tough times. Our city has had tough times. This is an opportunity for everybody to come together around an incredible man," Coletta said, referring to Catholic Church's child abuse scandal, which had a profound impact on Philadelphia.

Meanwhile Mary McGuiness, a religion professor at La Salle University, a Catholic school in Philadelphia, said she didn't anticipate a flood of local Catholics returning to Sunday mass in future because of the pope's current visit. She explained that the archdiocese has been through too much with the abuse scandals.

McGuiness said the intense attention to Francis' speeches could inspire people to think more about what Catholicism really meant: "I hope that will happen," she said.

"But I hear a lot of people say, 'I like this pope, but I'm not going back.'"

A family man?

In Philadelphia, Francis will also be the star attraction at the World Meeting of Families, a Catholic conference for more than 18,000 people from around the world. Meanwhile, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics said they planned to hold separate events, including one for gay parents and their children, in a push for more acceptance in the church - in the year when the US Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.

Francis famously said, "Who am I to judge?" when asked about a supposedly gay priest, but has also affirmed church teaching on marriage.

But the visit was also shaping up as one of the most interesting ecclesial pairings of the pope's trip. His host is Archbishop Charles Chaput, an outspoken opponent of abortion and gay marriage who takes a hard line on church teaching in the archdiocese.

Chaput said a local Catholic school had showed "character and common sense" by firing a teacher in June who got married to another woman. He recently wrote in the archdiocese newspaper that abortion is "a uniquely wicked act" that cannot be seen as one sin among many.

Three days ago, in an address to US bishops intended to lay out his vision for American Catholicism, Francis had said that attention should be paid to the "innocent victims of abortion" but listed the issue as one among many "essential" to the church's mission, including caring for the elderly and the environment.

Francis had previously announced that priests would be allowed to formally pardon women who have had abortions during the church's Jubilee Year - if they sought forgiveness.

Lasting legacy

On Sunday, Francis will meet with American bishops, visit a prison and lead a farewell mass on the sweeping Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the city's grandest avenue, before flying out of the country in the evening.

The pope received a rapturous reception in America; he was welcomed personally by President Barack Obama when he arrived on Tuesday and was received by giant crowds in both Washington and New York.

Francis' reform-minded approach to social issues, his humility and focus on the most vulnerable has struck a chord across the racial and socioeconomic divide in the US.

ss/bk (AP, AFP)