school in east harlem where pope francis is visiting right now. he will visit with third and fourth graders at that school that has served the community for 120 years. then he'll meet with immigrants but first as has been the case he's meeting with enthusiastic supporters outside that school but from there he'll parade through central park and celebrate mass at madison square garden before this very busy day is done. those events will wrap up in new york portion the pope's visit and it will be the end of a very busy day that included a speech at the united nations and a interfaith prayer service at the 9/11 memorial and museum. sarah bloomquist joins us live in new york city with more on this extraordinary day, sarah. >> reporter: that's right, brian, the pope covering a lot of ground here today beginning in lower manhattan. traveling all the way up to east harlem. he began this day by addressing the world's most powerful leaders and he will end this day meeting with children, the poor and the people of new york city at a

popemobile parade and a big mass at madison square garden. this morning the pope visited the 9/11 memorial and museum in lower manhattan. he attended an interfaith service for peace along with representatives of many religions. >> ♪ >> reporter: it was here at the pope offered a prayer for the dead and for those whose lives continue to be affected by the terror attacks. he said here grief is palpable. the pontiff met with survivors and relatives of those who died that day. [speaking foreign language] >> the interpreter: how destruction is never impersonal. it's never abstract. it's not about things. [speaking foreign language] >> the interpreter: above all destruction has faith and has a history, it is specific. it has names. >> reporter: earlier the

holy father addressed the largest gathering of world leaders ever assembled at the united nations. he accused the wealthiest countries of ravaging the planet at the expense of the weak. >> and the poorest are those who suffer the most from such offenses. [speaking foreign language] >> the interpreter: for three serious reasons. they are cast off by society. forced to live of what is discarded and suffer unjustly from the consequences of the abuse of the environment. >> reporter: he encouraged the education of girls warped of the effects of war and religious intolerance praised efforts to control nuclear arms. >> the interpreter: there is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons in full application of the nonproliferation treaty in letter and spirit towards the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons.

(applause). >> reporter: and this evening the pope continues what really has become the underlying themes of this papal visit to the united states, protecting the environment and caring for poor. many of those children who attend the east harlem catholic school where he is right now come from low income families. and they will be showing the holy father a project they've been working on and, yes, it's about protecting this planet. live in weehawkin, new jersey, i'm sarah bloomquist, channel6 "action news." brian. >> all right, sarah thank you so much. let's switch back live to sharrie williams live at eakins oval. sharrie you've got a front row seat for all the action today even as they item 10 security by the minute there. >> reporter: yeah, brian, the security may be elevated but they saved a seat for us. this is our eakins oval studio and take a look for yourself behind me. it really is the view to have.

we have a wonderful view of the stage of course. we really are in the thick of things. this view that we have, gets us so close. they're still busy working constructing the stage where the pope will sit on the stage, enjoy the concert come saturday and of course the mass that will be celebrated on sunday and this is our view. it is wonderful. so, if you will not be here 6abc of course is the place to tune in and to watch and have that front row seat. a lot of preparations under way today. a lot is going into this as we prepare for the pope to arrive tomorrow. let's go to my coanchor alicia vitarelli. she has been out here all day taking a look at all the busy activity and you've got more alicia on the crews getting ready. >> absolutely, sharrie. lots of busy bees here today. one thing i just want to mention, it's very calm here as everyone gets to work and just a little bit earlier we saw a rainbow over the arc of the stage which was just so spectacular.

but as you mentioned the stage will be used for two very important and special purposes this weekend. take a look behind us as they continue to work here first. you mentioned the big concert tomorrow night featuring aretha franklin juanez andrea bocceli and more and on sunday the big papal mass will take place on that very same stage and today they're putting the finishing touches on it. how does it feel for philadelphia? >> tremendous, tremendous. this is a big event year's coming and everybody wants to join in it. >> reporter: live nation has produced some of the biggest events in the world but they tell me this one is extra special. >> this is the biggest thing i've ever done. i've done things down atlantic city, the miss america parade, 32,000 chairs there so this is even bigger. >> reporter: the stage almost set. the lights lined up to shine. the cameras ready to roll and everyone is ready for the action.

>> coming together. we'll be ready for it. >> reporter: there are 10,000 seats spanning the papal stage, each one will be numbered for lucky ticket holders. >> there will be seat assignments like a -- like a theater, like a real show. >> reporter: ushers are busy learning the setup to bring people to their seats tomorrow night. sound checks are making sh sure the pontiff is picture perfect on sunday during the mass and philadelphia the other star of the show is also ready to shine on the world stage. >> it is shaping up. it's a lot of work. we're working over -- double time like until 2:00 and then back at 8:00 and some people all night. >> reporter: philadelphia will be on the world stage. everyone will be looking at this. >> awesome. it's great. philadelphia is a great place for it to be. >> reporter: it is awesome indeed. and again, while it's kind of calm here, there's a very peaceful atmosphere. tomorrow we expect just a couple more people to join us

out here on the oval and while there is some pretty high tech stuff going on here, i can't wait to show you how they are taking the cathedral basilica of saint peter's and paul into the digital age rewiring the oldest brown stone and largest in the city to get it ready for the pontiff on saturday morning. tomorrow morning. as we countdown less than 24 hours for the pope to come, sharrie. i cannot wait to show you how they are rewiring that place. it's incredible. >> all right, alicia, you've got an eye on everything that's happening here, a busy day and of course security is starting to tighten up as those traffic boxes that we have been talking about it seems like forever are finally taking effect along of course with those road closures that are happening. we are also seeing officers from multiple agencies around the country coming in to help with security including national guardsmen flooding the streets around the city. for more on this angle let's turn now to david henry. he's live in center city.

david we've seen these officers responding quickly at any point that they receive any kind of tip. >> reporter: sharrie, a lot of people stayed home from work today and it's a good thing they did. the great wall of china has been erected right through the heart of center city and major streets like market street here have been closed. if you want to go any further, you have to go through metal detectors. we had plenty of warning but some people were still caught by surprise. >> it was a hassle 'cause i had to walk here 'cause the buses aren't running everywhere. >> reporter: work crews started moving the concrete barricades into place at 10:00 last night. the security check points went into operation at 6:00 this morning. they are manned by t.s.a. agents and are being watched over by federal agents and philadelphia police. the crowds were small to start and things went smoothly for the most part. but many were also frustrated as they tried to get to work. >> i have to make it to valley forge casino. that's out king of prussia mall. i'm trying to find a 125.

i'm getting no answer. i walked this circle and been through metal detectors four, five times. i'm late. i missed the 8 o'clock bus even if there is one. >> reporter: those who were frustrated were in good company. archbishop chaput had his own difficulties. >> as you see it's a very complicated process even getting around and i was late getting at mass this morning because of the blocking of the streets, so. >> reporter: and you've been affected. >> oh, yeah i've been affected. i'm glad to share that anxiety of the pilgrims but i would have rather been on time. >> reporter: for most the delays weren't long at the check points and they weren't the only ones getting screened. trucks delivering supplies to the festival grounds on the parkway had to go through this check point. they were screened for signs of radiation and explosives. this was going on right outside the front door of philadelphia basketball legend lionel simmons who has to use his bike to get around. >> i think a lot of people got a job to go to. been a little bit of inconvenience but it's a big

job for philadelphia, historical time and i'm sure they'll get over it. >> reporter: federal and local security forces are everywhere. it's been a major disruption for thousands who live and work in center city but most seem to be getting into the spirit of the event and undertaking -- an undertaking like none other the city has ever seen. >> this is a different version of a walkable city. you don't see something like this at any point in time. >> reporter: and tonight the security news gets even tighter. in less than two hours that huge traffic box goes into effect and at 10:00 tonight the security perimeter, the vehicle security perimeter will be set up in the independence mall area. live in center city, david henry, channel6 "action news." sharrie. >> all right, david, thank you. and of course "action news" has anchors reporters and cameras all over the city to bring you every moment from every different angle and that includes a bird's eye view from the other end of the ben franklin parkway. let's head over to rick williams and monica malpass

live on our parkway studios of course overlooking what will be a jam packed weekend, guys. >> reporter: hi. >> hi, sharrie thank you. that's right we have quite the view for thighs weekend's papal visit. >> beautiful. we are high atop the parkway here for all of the action. we're going bring it all to you. >> we're broadcasting all weekend long from there embassy suites here. our view from the 28th floor will give you a chance to see the entire length of the parkway. >> here's an action cam shot that we have set up here inside the studio and from our home base here. we can give you a look all the way into the stage at eakins oval. quite a beautiful and stunning site. >> i think i see my car being towed. wait a minute, hail. just kidding. but it's a beautiful shot and on a clear day as the song says you can see forever and of course we can see the art museum. >> absolutely. the city really never looked better. it's had a fresh coat of paint in some areas, roads have been

prepared, new flowers planted all of the museum have beautiful banners with in many cases spiritual functions going on inside there as well to go along with the pope's visit so really it's like the whole city is putting on its sunday's best for the pope's visit. >> the big concert tomorrow. i think we have a pretty good seat i think. >> and we're going to bring it to you. >> joining us will be former "action news" reporter kathy gandolfo. in her more than 30 years here at "action news" she traveled to the vatican and rome many times. she will share her experiences and knowledge of the catholic church. we're happy to have kathy back with us. >> absolutely. you were hearing about the security that david henry told us about. it is tight as you would expect. you would want that for the pope's security and the security of the masses but what i don't know if people are realizing is that folks down at the ground level are also very kind much they've got a warm spirit. they've been very helpful. i've seen everything from the national security -- the national guards and the local police, k-9 units and every one of them being helpful and in allowing you to get through in an orderly way. there's a real nice energy

about it. >> and anticipation and excitement as well. we are here, we are ready and this will be our studio away from home for the weekend. >> yes, we'll be here for you every step along the way and so we'll have that for you and sharrie we're looking forward to it along with all of you. back to you. >> back to you sharrie. >> all right, rick and monica. you just saw the wonderful view rick and monica have. we're giving you a sneak peek of the view from right here as well on eakins oval. we will be here throughout the entire weekend bringing you every moment of the pope -- from the moment he touches down so and when of course when the pope gets here to philadelphia "action news" will have complete coverage. you can count on that. jim gardner, he will be of course leading the way through our coverage and our team of more than two dozen anchors and reporters will be at locations across the region bringing you every angle of this history making visit and its impact on the delaware valley. of course for now i'm sharrie williams. live on the oval. i'll send it back into the studio to my coanchor brian taff. >> sharrie, cannot wait to join you down there tomorrow. it is going to be awesome.

thank you. now a live look at independence mall today. that's where pope francis will give a speech on immigration tomorrow morning. it's one of the events that could draw a crowd of people walking across the ben franklin bridge from new jersey. now, a live look at that bridge from chopper six. it does not shut down, the vehicle traffic, until 10 o'clock tonight but once it does close, it won't reopen until monday at noon. camden county is planning its own welcome tort pope. state and local officials are coordinating their efforts at a joint operations center in lindenwold. they believe hundreds of thousands of people will pass through camden to get into philadelphia this weekend. more than 25 law enforcement agencies will be monitoring their journey. the schuylkill expressway eastbound closes from i476 to i-76 at 10 o'clock. the schuylkill expressway westbound also shuts down at 10:00 from i-95 to city avenu

avenue. the vine street expressway crowe closed in both directions from the schuylkill to i-95. penndot hopes to have all these roads open in time for the monday morning commute but that remains to be seen. now parts of city avenue will not close down until tomorrow morning. but they'll be closed from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and then on sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. the northbound side of city avenue will be closed from lancaster avenue to the schuylkill expressway. the southbound side will be closed from belmont avenue to lancaster avenue. all right. time now on that note to get a first check of the "action news" traffic report. things are starting to get sticky out there. matt pelman live in the traffic center with an update. hey, matt. >> you know brian we like that when we're talking about taffy, not traffic. things are definitely getting interesting. now as we look live this afternoon here in center city at the vine street expressway you can see just a few people moving about on the vine street expressway. this, however, is the scene in king of prussia along 202. now we're looking at the roosevelt boulevard. now we're on the vine street

expressway. we're hopping around a little bit. 42. this is the southbound accident approaching 55. so, unfortunately for those people who have been trying to get out of town this afternoon using 42 southbound they have been encountering that accident approaching route 55. been giving them slowdowns coming off the walt whitman bridge. can we go to the waze app we'll try and use that this afternoon see if we can use there to talk about some of our traffic issues as people attempt to get out of town, attempt to miss all the papal closures. is the waze app working? this is the roosevelt boulevard where everything is opened at this point and the boulevard is not going to close this weekend. that's one that will stay opened. with the waze app now we're looking at the northeast extension where we had an accident earlier this afternoon on the northbound side approaching quakertown. caused quite the backlicky log already. as we zoom in you can see speeds of just 11 miles per hour traveling north. so, this is extra problematic this afternoon because a lot of people were headed up to the lehigh valley and up to the poconos to get out of philadelphia in advance of the papal visit. at this point if you're one of those people that was going the try and head northbound i

think i would avoid the northbound side of 476 and head for northbound 309 as your alternate. let's return to that situation that i had mentioned over on 42 where there was an accident on the southbound side approaching route 55. bad spot because that's a spot where things are normally busy in the afternoon so this afternoon it's extra busy coming off the walt whitman bridge we're seeing really slow traffic. so while in general the highways aren't terrible this afternoon, we have these couple of issues that are really messing things up. and we're experiencing an opening at the burlington burlin bristol bridge right now. head for the turnpike connector instead. it's for a southbound ship we expect an opening at the tacony palmyra in a bit. lots going on, brian. we'll check it again in just a bid. >> thank you. this reminder you can find all the details on road closures and security zones at 6abc.com/pope. we've also posted the list of what you can and cannot bring with you important before you head out and you can find an up to the minute schedule for pope francis.

the philadelphia orchestra getting ready for two big moments in the papal spotligh spotlight. >> ♪ the incredibly talented musicians will perform during the festival of families concert tomorrow and the papal mass on sunday. 500 choir members will accompany them on that stage. they all gathered at the kimmel center today for one final rehearsal. they really want to get this right. and no doubt they will. all right, tomb now for accuweather and we send things over to meteorologist melissa magee live at the big board. melissa, we are tracking a chance of rain on sunday. >> yeah, that's right, brian and it all depends on how quickly or even if this area of low pressure streams northward across the delaware and lehigh valleys and we have some probabilities. we'll take a look at the chances of that in a moment. outside in philadelphia coming in at 74 degrees, 72 trenton, 73 in allentown, the lehigh valley, along the coast in cape may 69 the lower 70's for

millville and dover. check out the wind gusts across the region. they're coming in from an easterly direction so relatively cool with a fair amount of cloud cover. you can say filtered sunshine. gusting as high as 24 miles per hour in the city as high as 24 miles per hour there in beach haven and the lower 20's all the way down in wildwood right along the coast. here's what we're tracking over the weekend. satellite6 along with action radar showing you this area of low pressure over the carolinas and portions of georgia. you see a lot of moisture pressing into the southeast but we also have this ridge of high pressure that's situated over new england and the winds around that high are clockwise and it will help for the most part to suppress some of this moisture to the south and west. but if that ridge of high pressure loses out some of this moisture and some of the shower activity could stream northward. not tomorrow but as we get into the second half of our weekend on sunday. so it is a papal weekend and tomorrow breaks of sunshine. it's a nice afternoon. you have an east to northeasterly wind so clouds

will be building as the day wears on. winds sustained anywhere from 10 to 20 miles per hour with a high tomorrow and at 75 degrees but on sunday, a possible shower is likely because of that area of low pressure i just showed you to our south that could stream northward. a high temperature otherwise on sunday coming in at 73 degrees with that east to northeasterly wind it will be quite breezy. so we'll go over the chances and the probability of rain as we go throughout the day on sunday. remember tomorrow we are okay. a 20 percent likelihood of finding showers early in the morning but notice our chances increase as we get into sunday afternoon and right through the early evening hours. a 40 percent chance of showers by 1:00 p.m. on sunday and a 50 percent chance of some showers as we get into 4:00 p.m. on sunday and remember that is the start of the papal mass on the parkway so we'll be tracking the development of any showers very closely for you and it's still a 50 percent chance at 7:00 p.m. come sunday. something to keep in mind and look up at the super moon as we head into the weekend on sunday night, even there will be a fair amount of cloud

cover overhead. we've got a partial eclipse that begins at nine:07 p.m. an total eclipse that begins at 10:11 p.m. if you don't catch it sunday night the next stop 2033. here's the four day at 4:00. breaks of sunshine, a high temperature coming in of 75 degrees. on sunday, an afternoon shower is likely. otherwise it will be breezy and at 73. a scattered shower still possible on monday, 77. back into the 80's we go. high temperature at 83 degrees so fingers crossed brian that it all stays dry but remember the likelihood of showers increase as we get into sunday afternoon. >> all right. back to the 80's. melissa, thanks very much. and our papal weekend coverage will include exclusive digital updates live from our news room. we'll have traffic weather and papal news every half hour starting at 9:00 a.m. on saturday and sunday. you can watch our live papal visit digital updates on 6abc.com and of course on our 6abc news app right there on your mobile device. we've got a lot still to come

throughout the afternoon and evening. at 4:30 alicia vitarelli is back with behind the scenes look at the high tech upgrades inside the cathedral basilica. vern odom will have details on the last official day of the world meeting of families. at 5:00 nora muchanic is talking with people on the parkway as they get the lay of the land out there. at 5:30 john rawlins has the latest on transportation into the city for the weekend and coming up at 6 o'clock chad pradelli live with more on the staging area near the ben franklin bridge. we've got a whole lot more coming up. stick around. we'll be right back. >> ♪ patients across the country have spoken. they recently rated their care experience at over 3,500 hospitals nationwide in a survey conducted for the centers for medicare and medicaid services. fewer than 10% received 5 stars. among them was cancer treatment centers of america in philadelphia.

learn more at cancercenter.com/eastern. cancer treatment centers of america. care that never quits. appointments available now. i was about to head to thecheck. bank, but out of nowhere it just started to rain. like really rain. [clap of thunder] i did not want to go out. [clap of thunder]

but then i was like duh, just use your phone. mobile-deposit-techno-thingy to the rescue. i'm rayna. and i bank human at td bank. >> ♪ >> an emotional john boehner explained his decision today to resign from congress. the ohio republican will stepdown as speaker of the house at the end of next month. boehner said he was plane to go leave by the end of the

year but he moved the timetable forward because he didn't want to damage the house in the continued turmoil over his leadership. >> i don't want my members to have to go through this. i certainly don't want the institution to go through this. and so especially when, you know, i knew i was thinking about walking out the door anyway so it's the right time to do it and frankly i'm entirely comfortable doing it. >> boehner endorsed the number two house republican california congressman kevin mccarthy as his po potential replacement. a delaware county man sentenced to life in prison without parole. richard plots killed his caseworker theresa hunt in yeadon last year. he also shot his psychiatrist lee silverman but silverman shot back and wounded plots. in july he pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges of first degree murder and attempted murder. he will serve his sentence in a mental health ward. area veterans who have

fallen on hard times getting much needed help today. "action news" was at the south jersey stand down event at the national guard armory in cherry hill. it's an annual event put together by volunteers and it's geared toward helping thousands of homeless veterans in the garden state. some of the services offered today included job assistance, legal help as well as medical and dental care. well, today apple fans have been waiting for, the new iphone 6s went on sale today. the action cam at the apple square in suburban scare in ardmore. nearly a dozen people lined up this morning to get, well -- to make certain they got a phone. analysts expect at least 12 million phones to be sold this weekend. now, another live look speaking of touch screen devices, that's one right there in the background at our lady queen of angels school in east harlem. pope francis visiting there right now and in fact according to some reports on twitter just played around with that touch screen device

back there so having some fun at that school today. from here he'll parade through sen at a park and celebrate mass at madison square garden. ♪ whoomp there it is uh, yeah... well, uh, well there's this one. best insurance mobile app? yeah, two years in a row. well i'll be... does that thing just follow you around? like a little puppy! the award-winning geico app. download it today.

>> ♪ >> it is 4:30. i'm brian taff and "action news" continues with a surreal sight for so many of us in the delaware valley. it is this. we are no longer countering down the days until pope francis' arrival. it's now a matter of hours, 17 hours, zero minutes, 45 seconds and countering. we've got live team coverage of the pontiff's journey and the preparations philadelphia is making today. my coanchor sharrie williams will have more on that in a moment. but we want to begin with where the pope is right now. a live look this afternoon at our lady queen of angels in east harlem where the pope is about to accept a series of gifts that represent immigrants their struggles and the successes in their lives here in the united states. he had met with third and fourth graders at that school which has served that community for about 120 years and you can see right now those students very much enjoying getting some one-on-one time with pope francis who is a huge soccer

fan and that guy right there showing offer his soccer skills much to the 38 of the world's most famous football fan we should say. later today pope francis will make his way through central park to madison square garden to celebrate mass. it's the ends of a busy day at the big apple for the 78-year-old pontiff. this morning the pope shared the stage with religious leaders from around the world praying for peace at one of our nation's most sacred sites the 9/11 memorial. the pope also met with victims' families to offer his blessings but he began this historic day hours earlier with a landmark address at the united nations. just the fourth pope to speak before the general assembly. the holy father used his address to speak out against what he calls the economic and social exclusions of the poor. "action news" will be there for the remainder of the pope's visit to new york city. reporters eva pilgrim and

sarah bloomquist are there right now. their live reports will continue on "action news" throughout the evening. back here at home the already frenzied effort to get ready for our turn at playing papal host gets into higher gear today time running short but no shortage of excitement. let's get back down to the heart of the action, sharrie williams live on the parkway and sharrie, that's where you and i will be broadcasting all weekend. can't wait. >> reporter: yeah, this really is the place to be and i know your anticipation is building to get out here so let me be the first to tell you it is great. we are live on eakins oval. by this time tomorrow this area of course will be packed and filled with people who will be here for the francis festival. that of course is the final portion of the world meeting of families which of course will conclude in grand style which will have a papal mass on the parkway come sunday. "action news" reporter vernon odom talked with some of those who of course haveone need here and are anticipating on being... have journeyed here.

he's live outside the convention center with that story. vernon. >> reporter: my most legitimate assessments this has been a remarkable event this week in philadelphia. this was the eighth world meeting of families, the first on u.s. soil. it is for -- it is by far a record breaker. twice as large as all the others that came before it. >> i am so excited to see the pope i can't hardly stand it. >> reporter: sue from oklahoma city are having a ball here in philadelphia. what with the world meeting of families this week and the pope due to arrive tomorrow. >> it's just been marvelous. people are friendly. the natives we talked to whoever are all leaving the city which was funny because we came from furthest. figured i could get closer to him than i would in rome. >> fascinating to see a huge city like this being shut down and so mobile and everybody walking and everybody being pretty nice.

>> i've seen him before, so i saw him last year. >> reporter: in rome. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: now this time here in america. >> i'm not going see him as close as i did last year. >> reporter: the world meeting of families was fast winding down today. this turnout of more than 17,000 pilgrims from around the world more than doubles the largest previous turnout in other countries. they came from far and wide and have learned much. >> mix-up with people from different countries and from different cultures. >> reporter: i will be back later with more pilgrims and their thoughts and a word from governor tom wolf. live in center city, i'm vernon odom, channel6 "action news." >> okay, vernon, thank you. okay, vernon thank you and of course hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in town, the one question everyone wants answered, will the weather cooperate? with more on that of course we turn to our meteorologist adam joseph. he's live on pennsylvania

avenue with that forecast. adam. >> yeah, sharrie, i tell you the sun is shining now and i'm right on the other side of the barrier where you are in eakins oval. this this will be my home base for the next couple days i can oversee the center city skyline and folks you can see holding up signs, they are walking around, they are taking in the sights here on the opposite side of the barriers where those folks have the tickets to get through security the next couple of days. take a look at the temperatures so far today. it's been beautiful, very fall-like. 78 in philadelphia, the same for wilmington, allentown 75 and millville 78 so far today. double scan live radar will show low pressure is just off the georgia-south carolina border. heavy rain sweeping the outer or banks of north carolina with light showers as far north as virginia but it's bumping into the dry air that's in place here with high pressure over new england. future tracker early tomorrow afternoon we're right on the etch of the clouds versus sun, more sun to the north, more

clouds to the south. even some rainier virginia but as we get into sunday early afternoon it's still sunny he to the north near new york city but you can see some light showers breaking out in southern delaware, new jersey, parts of virginia and maryland. sun up in the poconos. so, again, some showers will sneak into parts of the area here the second half of the weekend. so here are the key points. we're going have gusty east-northeasterly winds around 25 miles an hour inland, 40 at the coast this weekend. there will be coastal flooding some beach erosion because of the low to the south. now, most of the weekend is dry and any rain on sunday at this point looks like it will be on the light side so even if we get some showers for the papal mass here on sunday, at least it's going to be light. i'll have that full accuweather seven-day forecast live from the fairmount section overlooking eakins oval coming up in just a little bit. brian. >> all right adam pretty awesome location you've got there, too. thank you. if you have not been to center city today we can tell you and you can trust us that getting around not easy. and the security measures only

going to get more strict. the secure perimeters are in effect from the parkway to city hall east to 12th street and cars are off limits within the black shaded area you see right there. people who want to cross into the red zone must pass through check points and motor at a detectors. the roads marked in yellow here will only be opened to authorized vehicles like emergency equipment. residents cannot park on those highlighted streets. now because of the traffic restrictions people are expected to pack onto septa trains and buses and septa expects sunday will be their busiest day. more than 1,000 charter buses will roll into town and bring close to 50,000 people with them. the buses are parking in south philadelphia. the papal visitors are expected to travel through the at&t station. septa says they can move a lot of people but they are asking that everyone be patient. >> we have the ability to move anywhere if 10 to 12,000 people an hour. and it's the same thing it's based on when they all come

that there will be times that there will be, you know, larger lines. you can possibly wait up to an hour maybe a little bit more. >> now to help make the wait a little more bearable septa says they'll provide music and plenty of updates so that riders don't get bored or frustrated. now, a live look at the vine street expressway where traffic is still moving just fine right now but of course that's going to change tonight. matt pelman will have more on the road closures live from our "action news" traffic center in just a few minutes. switching live to independence mall the stage is just about set for the pope's big speech on immigration there tomorrow. we also have a crew live on the grounds showing us just how big of a transformation this area has undergone in the last few days. well, this is a back to eakins oval but as you might guess on independence mall it's been a race against the clock and here on the parkway to get everything done before the pope gets here tomorrow morning. "action news" will be

everywhere the pope is this weekend and we've got one of the best views of the ben franklin parkway. "action news" anchors rick williams and monica malpass joining us live once again from our parkway studio. a few second to none up there, guys. >> that's right. >> thank you, brian. how are you? we've got an incredible view here of the parkway and we'll be able to see everything that happens all weekend long while the pope is in town. >> that's right. coming up at 5 o'clock we'll take a look at how officials continue working to secure all the areas where the pope will be just to be sure including how the national guard is going to be involved. >> also coming up tonight at 5:00 we'll go inside of a huge medical tent that's been set up to help people who might get hurt or sick during the papal visit this weekend. the tent is set up at roman field right across from eakins oval and in addition to that there will also be 10 first aid stations set up at different points. >> ali gorman will be live from one of those stations at 5:00 we'll have much more here from our parkway studios as you can see and we've got much more going on all evening

long. we're going bring it all to you. >> all right we'll see you then. brian back to you. >> excellent guys. can't wait to see you shortly. thank you. just in time for the pope's visit the lit brothers building getting a whole new look the store locator on market street between seventh and eighth streets unveiled a new it will display. check it out and check that out. you can see the digital billboard on top of the building. throughout the year the lights will change colors to celebrate different events in the city. this weekend they'll be yellow and white for the papal visit. digital billboard on which our logo proudly flies today will also show the pope's mass and his speech at independence hall. now in addition to that location in center city, you can also watch "action news" coverage in atlantic city we're broadcasting our papal programming down on the boardwalk, on the interactive boardwalk network. it's the impact-ivate. if you're in the car we will be simulcasting most of our coverage on praise 103.9. of course 6abc.com will be

your home for live video during the papal visit. we'll be streaming our "action news" coverage of every single page or event along with live feeds from our cameras across the area. of course another reminder to watch our online only digital updates. there is much more ahead on "action news" at 4:00 today including that behind the scenes look at what it takes to bring philadelphia's mother church into the digital age. alicia. >> reporter: brian, i can't wait to bring you that story. in the meantime, some beautiful dance rehearsals going on here at eakins oval. it is really a sight to see. sound checks are in place. i'll show you some of the final details and again have that story from the basilica where they are getting high tech there as well when i see you coming up in just a few. >> all right, very good, alicia. thank you. plus holy water turns out congressman bob brady is not a germ phobe and neither are his people at least when it comes to pope francis. how the philadelphia democrat got his hands on pope francis

drinking glass and you can see what he did with it. and you're looking live at the parkway this afternoon. chopper 6hd flying over center city philadelphia an extraordinary sight and one that will get better with each passing minute this afternoon and this weekend. "action news" continues next.

>> ♪ >> we're back live on eakins

oval. though pope francis will be delivering airplays to hundreds of thousands of people right here on sunday, it's not his first service. on saturday the pontiff will also be delivering a mass at the basilica of saints peter and paul and as alicia vitarelli found out getting ready for such a high profile event was no simple task. alicia vitarelli live here also along the parkway. alicia you've got details on that. >> reporter: sharrie, it's just incredible the basilica of saints peter and paul is more than a century and a half old and it is about to go high tech. they have been working around the clock there to get it ready for the pontiff so everybody can see him face to face and he's heard loud and clear all across the world. >> ♪ >> the cathedral basilica will shine. >> it will shine. >> reporter: every window has been cleaned up, every piece of brass shined up.

>> also polished and washed everything. >> look at this. >> the floors are spic and span. [laughter] >> it really is. >> reporter: and they're also busy giving the basilica a high tech makeover. >> we put in a sound system. >> reporter: okay. >> we put in audio visual system which we needed and we upgraded the electric. >> reporter: all necessary but not so simple to accomplish especially in a building that's more than 150 years old. >> the older section of the cathedral was built in the 18 40's so we had to find ways to get to the existing columns to put new wiring. >> reporter: skip from j.j. white electrical has crews working around the clock to bring the mother church of philadelphia into the digital age. >> installed a hole whole new speaker system in here, new microphones, camera systems updated two systems here in the cathedral. >> reporter: the trick, to get it all wired up all while still preserving its historic

charms. >> no one wants to see electrical. no one wants to see conduit or wires. most of the stuff is concealed in the walls. >> reporter: you said you went in through the cat combs. >> there were tunnels there were 4-foot high where the guys crawled through to get access to the columns. >> reporter: roughly 2,000 people will have a seat at this special papal mass but the upgrades will assure that everyone who watches has a front row seat. will we the pope loud and clearly. >> exactly with the cameras that they have in here they'll be able to see what he looks like from a distance. >> reporter: high def he. >> yes. >> reporter: and even once the mass has ended and pope francis leaves philadelphia, these high tech changes at the cathedral basilica will be here to stay. >> i've been doing this for 43 years but this is one of the

toughest jobs i've ever been involved in. >> reporter: and that mass at the cathedral basilica of saints peter and paul is tomorrow morning at 10:30. i will be there live for you starting very early in the morning right here on "action news." i'm told everything will be draped in white. special vestments have been made for the pope as he greets everyone inside the historic basilica here in philadelphia. the mass will be dedicated to the blessed mother and of course to saint john the patron saint of the world meeting of families and families everywhere. much looking forward to that brian. we'll see you there tomorrow morning at the basilica. >> yeah, alicia that was truly incredible. thank you for that look inside the basilica. such an extraordinary building. alicia vitarelli. yesterday afternoon pope francis spoke to congress for nearly an hour. that's enough to make anybody parched. fortunately the holy father had a glass of water by his side pausing to sip from it as he talked occasionally. well, turns out as soon as his

speech was done members of congress swarmed him attempting to touch the pontiff. but there was one congressman who went for something else. yeah, philadelphia's bob brady made a beeline for the podium and picked up that glass pope francis was drinking from. not only grabbed a souvenir he actually drank out of it then passed it around to members of his staff and his family. the congressman kept the remainder of the water and says he plans to sprinkle some of it on his grandchildren. so there you go. another check on the roads tonight. matt pelman standing by in the "action news" traffic center where things are pretty light for now but that will really change this evening won't it matt. >> that's the glass half full approach brian, yes, we've got an exciting event in town. we've got a pretty easy ride home this afternoon. but, yes, everything changes in just a bit. as we look live at the schuylkill expressway i-76 right by the vine street expressway it's one of these spots in which things will change at 10 o'clock tonight because the schuylkill and the vine will both be shut down. it will be a ghost town here

this afternoon. not quite a ghost town but definitely light involvement as we look at center city and the vine street expressway, yeah, not nearly as many cars as a normal afternoon and right around here we do have so many street closures. we accumulate add whole new list of them today in center city around the parkway and the preparations for the papal events. so a lot of those septa buses are running with detours. i think that probably goes without saying. and our traffic box takes effect in just under an hour and 15 minutes now at 6 o'clock. so, you need to think outside the traffic box and of course you won't be able to travel in this area. the west philadelphia traffic box takes effect at 10 o'clock tonight and you have a few more hours to travel in and around university city in the west philadelphia area. i know a lot of people have been trying to get out of town in advance of this weekend, some of them headed northbound on the northeast extension this afternoon and they've been encountering a crash approaching the quakertown interchange. speeds a little slow as you head north through that stretch. we had an early afternoon crash here on 42 southbound side couple vehicles left on

the shoulder approaching 55. the delay is starting to thin but it did spill back onto 295 southbound so still some slowing there. and the pope is in philly this weekend. i think we know that by now but we'll keep talking about how it's going to impact traffic coming up, brian, in the 5 o'clock hour. >> wait a minute, the pope is coming? >> breaking news i know. >> should have told me. thank you, matt. we have been showing you so many awesome pictures throughout our coverage today. here's another one. that is rick and monica, guys, can you herey me he? give us a wave. chopper 6hd -- there they are. chopper 6hd looking around on the parkway studio. that is where rick and monica will be broadcasting all weekend long and just a few hundred yards away from where sharrie williams and i will be on eakins oval. i love this shot. meteorologist adam joseph back with that exclusive accuweather forecast coming up next. >> ♪

>> ♪ >> welcome back. i'm meteorologist adam joseph. i am live at what is going to be my house and your house as well for the next couple days on pennsylvania avenue in the fairmount section of philadelphia overlooking eakins oval and all the activity that's going on. you can see the security barrier has been put up. there's a security area just down road where people are going to be lining up along this street, pennsylvania avenue, to get in if they were the lucky ones to get those tickets that they passed out online that went very quickly a couple of weeks ago and i'm already looking at people passing by and you can see the excitement in their face. as we walked up to the house,

a few hours ago we passed by saint francis xavier church and you can see the signs are in the window, the kids made awesome signs for the pope welcoming him to philadelphia and really celebrating his visit coming here. the weather so far pretty good. 70 right now along the coast. 64 in philadelphia and wilmington. 74 degrees in reading so very fall-like air is in place and we've got quite a gusty breeze out of the east-northeast. in philadelphia 24 miles an hour. at the shore 25 miles an hour. and in wilmington and millville right around that 20 to 23 miles an hour zone. all right as we take a look at the satellite and radar, we have low pressure off the georgia-south carolina coast and you can see heavy rain on the outer banks of north carolina with some showers up towards virginia. and then we have strong high pressure to the north of toronto so we're really squeeze played behind that high to the north and also that low to the south. so, future tracker will show they're going to battle each other this weekend. so 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon some breaks of sun especially north of

philadelphia, more clouds to the south with some gusty winds out of the east-northeast 10 to 20 miles an hour. then as we get into early on sunday afternoon around 1 o'clock winds kick up 12 to 25 inland, near 40 at the coast. some sun left over in the poconos but a lot of clouds and you can see he a little bit of rain developing near millville, wilmington and maryland and that could sneak up to philadelphia later on sunday afternoon. so, let's break this down for you. for the papal speech at the independence mall on independence hall here on saturday at noon, 70, 2 o'clock 72. 74 at 4 o'clock and by 6 o'clock, 72 but it will be dry. for the festival of families here in eakins oval and the concert throughout the evening, temperatures will fall into the 60's. it will be rather cloudy and a cool breeze. you might want to bring a light jacket or sweatshirt. sunday for the papal mass 66 degrees at 10 o'clock in the morning and as we get into the afternoon, we'll touch around 70 degrees and there's a chance of a shower so bring some rain gear just in case you get a little wet.

as we look at the exclusive accuweather 7-day forecast, saturday breaks of sun, 75 and breezy. an afternoon shower likely. 73 on sunday. 77 with a leftover shower on monday. back to the 80's on tuesday, 83 degrees and as we get into middle of next week it turns much cooler. thursday, friday with temperatures in the upper 60's. you can see the folks, they are so excited. they got their papal flag walking around checking it out. much more "action news" coming up right after this break. >> ♪ ava and i needed a little vacay. but we needed to watch our spending.

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>> ♪ >> the papal pride is palpable at one catholic school in wilmington today. >> ♪ got to love that. students and staff sang their hearts out at saint mary magdelene school to show their excitement. of course you probably recognize that popular tune. the children used their own lyrics to make it a pope song instead of a fight song. they are having fun and so are we. rick and monica live on the parkway when "action news" continues tonight. >> ♪

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>> ♪ >> "action news." delaware valley's leading news program. with jaime apody, meteorologist cecily tynan, rick williams and monica malpass. >> ♪ >> pope francis continues his trek through new york city. it is day two of his visit there and he's had a full day from speaking at the united nations to visiting the 9/11 memorial. >> this is a live look the pope just concluded a visit at a school and catholic charitys in east harlem. he just got into his vehicle and he's headed to central park where he will of course meet with huge crowds waiting along the way. the crowds will be lined up for hours. the pope enjoying it and he really does love that warm one-on-one contact. >> he loves that italian fiat too. >> it is friday night. the big story our continuing coverage of the papal visit for you. pope francis will be in philadelphia as you know in less than 16 hours. we are just so excited. >> we are countering down and we're joining you here from

the top floor of the embassy suites along the ben franklin parkway. this location gives us a perfect view of the entire parkway all the way down to the giant stage at eakins oval. >> that's right. we will be live at our parkway studios all weekend to bring you complete coverage and some of the best views so sit back relax and you'll have a bird's eye view of everything. let's take another look from our other location. the camera will be able to zoom in down to their stage for you and give us the very clearest images of pope francis. >> and we have live team coverage tonight. "action news" reporter wendy saltzman has details on security along the parkway but first let's go to eva pilgrim in new york city the big apple where the excitement of the pope's visit continues tonight. hi, eva. >> reporter: good evening. pope francis has just begun his journey traveling through manhattan which will end right here at madison square garden and you can see the lines of people to get into the garden are still filing in at this