welcome to our special edition of inside story, this of course, is an historic weekend in philadelphia and an obvious opportunity to pause while the pontiff get smz rest time before the mass on the parkway this afternoon, we can discuss some of the issues so vital to american catholics and how we see pope francis dealing with the issues, first let me introduce some of our insiders today. father william byron is university professor at st. joe's university. there we go. and professor katie ox is assistant of studies at st.

joe's. and father gus poleo in norristown. earlier this morning pope francis made history by meeting with victims of sexual abuse. >> translator: in my heart these stories of suffer iing of those youth that were sexually abused and it continues to be on my mind, the people -- >> father byron, for victims of sexual abuse by priests, what the pope said today, is it enough or does the church have to do more?

>> it's never enough, but the church has to do more, the church has to continue. and the faulty supervision but going back to training of young men that present themselves as candidates, some of them should have been weeded out along the way. sexual abuse of minors and ped

we'll be able to hold on to that moment up, or catholics will be able to hold on to that momentum

but there are still many problems. >> father you are work with many intercontinental montelucia what will this do to energize your congregation? >> it already has. it already has. people, this week, i was very popular, i was popular because i had tickets to see pope francis and on top of it, people are thinking about how wonderful it is that he speaks spanish and knows spanish culture and is one of us in a way. and his defense of problems we have, meaning immigration, such a major topic for my parish and speaks of immigration, he is a very big proponent and so is archbishop chaput. he has written many speeches about it, one particular he wrote and i commented on it and

told him how wonderful it was, he was happy about that because it's not a popular topic with everybody. but this mercy you are talking about is such a big thing, mercy needs to come from not just the priests but from the people. >> jim, you have to think of a parish as a faith community and not as a place. people come together in the catholic community to remember the lord and the breaking of the bread and give praise and thanksgiving, every sun is a little easter they come together and celebrate but you can't come together if it's not a welcoming environment. families as families should come together and meet other families and be at a place where they like to share the company of other people and in that environment, which is a friendly celebratory, warm environment,

and i say let the procession begin on monday and pick up on things as you go along the week and present them at the alter on sunday and at the alter you receive the eucharist which is your food for the week, a march in faith. so think of the architecture, the celebration of a faith community. >> my church in a way is a latin american plaza. where we have mass. that is part of it, and everyone afterwards are talking, the children are being told about what happens. and what happeneds is it's hard to get rid of them. but it's a big thing where people bring food and there is food given, the a wonderful place. >> we are challenged in many

places in the parish community in the wider church to continue to find those who can keep our final communities vital and vibrant and i think we were talking earlier before we came on to the air, about a group who are called the nones, that large company of catholics that left the church. we have to continue to wrestle with why have these people left the church and thus, i think part of the issue is what is happening and what is not happening in our parish communities. >> in fact 22 million. >> that is correct. >> those people are former catholics in america. >> are they driven away because the church is seen as anti-gay or being driven away because the church is seen as anti-woman or are they driven away because someone gets divorced and want

to remarry, they are seen as being unwelcome. lets talk about women in the church first. pope francis has said the church has spoken and the church says no that door is closed. and what he is talking about is the ordernation of women and some see the pope as super liberal on all of these issues, homosexuality, contraception that he will rip apart the cat kix and rip apart cannon law to change the face of the church. that is not likely to happen. but tamala edwarded has done a

story about some women who aren't pay ago tension necessary to what they can and cannot do, they are just going out and doing it themselves. lets look at that story. >> it's great to see you in each of us. we pray. >> every sunday the community of st. mary magdalene meets in drexel hill. these women are clear, they consider themselves priest and this, a roman catholic church. >> thought it was important to show people there was another way of doing church in a model. these priests spend their lives in the catholic church and were called to do more at bedsides and in communities, with a call they couldn't answer. carol johnson recalls a service

of thanksgiving. >> i could plan the service but i could not take part because i was not ordains and i was not ordained because i'm a woman. the movement took hold soon after europe in the u.s. more than 200 women worldwide call themselves catholic priests. they had a conference here in philadelphia where they showed videos of women performing marriages and leading mass and just days before pope francis' arrival here they anointed three new female bishops to serve here in america, latin america and canada. in drexel hill the banners read nothing new, one of many women praised by the apostle paul, with what were ordained titles and then the woman that gives the church its name. >> mary magdalene was the

leader, the first to witness resurrection. >> the church is unrelenting in its refusal to ordain women priests. elaine defranco received a letter warning she was about to become a public scandal. >> after i had my mass at thanksgiving my name was submitted for excommunication. >> all the women if this church are considered excommunicated, a fact that does not seem to bother these women. >> once you are baptised they cannot take that away from you, an excommunication cannot take you away from god. >> they applaud pope francis especially with his work with the poor and they know that most

of the poor are women. >> there will be no end of poverty until the church's vision of women changes. >> and they do not miss the church of their fathers and mothers or the church of their childhoods instead they focus on this church and its future. >> i can no longer let a person in authority dictate to that to me, i feel like make the rules up. >> i am comfortable living there, and i don't mind staying there until i die. >> pope francis is no stranger to going off script. we'll see if he surprises them with an embrace. >> pope francis says women should be seen as having greater value to the church than they had, but his critics say he is

saying we should value what they currently do and not give them more responsible jobs. >> speaking as a historian, i think this important issue points out the distinct of history and women's leadership roles in the church have changed. in the earlier centuries of church there were women in the leadership roles and they have lessened over time. francis's tone is more welcoming and less judgmental yet still i know that a women's conference, a group that supports that, you can only go so far, i don't have a horse in this race but still a woman that is as trained as a man to do that job certainly if

that is her calling -- what do we say from there? >> father byron do you think there should be women priests. i don't want to say should but could. change of course is gradual and for some people today adamandam. and pope john paul said that emfalable. >> are you using the word infablable that is not with all the weight, but that aside, we read in scripture nothing is impossible with god. is this a question of squaring the circle?

it may not happen but i would not want to say it could not happen. >> i'll have to stop you there. because we do have mayor michael nutter, who is -- where are you mr. nutter? are you on the parkway right now? >> jim, i'm standing on the sidewalk here on the north portal of philadelphia city hall, there are more and more people coming out, folks are getting out early today and the anticipation is that more and more folks will come and we have encouraged people to try and get on the parkway as early as possible. certainly if you have to magnet ohmeters, folks are coming out today, they want to see the pope and want a papal blessing and be a part of this incredible historic event in philadelphia. >> whenever i see you in a live images and that is frequently,

you seem to have a smile on your face are you satisfied with the way things have gone to this point? >> things have gone very, very well and a lot of that credit goes to the citizens of our cities and our visitors, taking our advice on walking panels or how best to get to the different venues whether it's the independence mall hall area, or getting up to the ben franklin parkway and i'm excited about the fantastic job that is being done by our philadelphia city government, public employees, whether it's police, fire, ems, parks and recreation, streets department is doing a fantastic job, trying to convert and cleanup afterwards and the businesses staying open and i want to thank them and praise them, everyone is so cooperative to make this moment, this weekend this experience as

joyful and spiritual and just a whole lot of fun. >> mr. mayor you know as well as i do, there are those that are making the observation that a smaller number of people came in to town for the festival of families that might have been anticipated and less traffic on the commuter rail lines and patco, what is your take on all of that? >> well, what i can tell you is that i have been to all the venues, there were a lot of people out, estimates are estimates, we have said for weeks and weeks and weeks, there is no way to know how many people will come but our job in city government is to be as prepared address possible season use the information and have the resources and procedures in place to accommodate whoever shows up. i think all of us will agree that by the end this day, there will be a whole lot more people here today on sunday than there

was on saturday. whoever shows up that is the crowd and that is how it happens and we are happy and joyful for all that decides to come. >> how do you think philadelphia is stacking up against new york can washington in terms of being a papal host. >> we are the host city for the world meeting of families, philadelphia is the reason that pope francis came to the united states. the invitations from the other cities only came as a result of pope francis saying he would come to the world meeting of families in philadelphia. and as great as the events were in d.c. and new york, you have to give them the props, only in philadelphia do you have three large outdoor very public events taking place, as the host city we would expect that we would do more and also that there would be bigger crowds and more

opportunity to see pope francis and even the folks in washington, d.c. said the best place to see pope francis is in philadelphia. >> you are standing on the tarmac and you see shepherd one begin its decent into the heavens, what will be your reaction, what will you be thinking, as you bid good-bye. >> well, i will be thinking about when shepherd one touched down just yesterday morning, that was an incredible experience in and of itself seeing pope francis coming down the speaks with a smile on his face and the reception he received. it's sad, we would love to have him here longer but he has work to do in roam and other places in the world, and the experiences, we were at the prison and watching those in our custody and care and their

reaction to pope francis and the correction officers and their reaction to him. there are so many wonderful moments, last night on the parkway when the festival of families and different artists him speaking in front of the independence hall, using the same lectern that abraham lincoln used to deliver the gettysburg address, these are special things and special moments, there are a lot of people that have spoken in front of independence hall, and now pope francis is one of those individuals as well. a lot is of memories to last a lifetime and as the plane makes that climb, we will wish him well and pray for him, he always asks us to pray for him, and i told him at the prison this morning, i assure you i have been praying for and if you can throw in a few extra prayers for me i would appreciate. >> and some relief that

everything went well? >> absolutely, we are planning and planning and planning for sometime. and pretty much five major outdoor events, four of them have taken place and all have gone well, but this is the biggest, no question about it. we plan and work and have an incredible team. when it all goes pretty well as planned and as smoothly as possible, there is a big sigh of relief and our public employees have been fantastic through this entire experience. >> philadelphia mayor, michael nutter, thank you for spending time with us and good luck for the rest of the day. >> thanks jim, god bless. we'll be back in just a moment.

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welcome back to this special edition of inside story today. i want to introduce two additional guests, rabbi neil cooper has been rabbi for 22 years at temple in wynnewood, pennsylvania and father frank bura at la salle university. you are a graduate of arch bishop ryan high school. >> yes, i am. >> now catholics and jews have had a difficult relationship, pope john paul ii brought the positive aspects to a higher level, and now the question is,

pope francis, is he a good pope for the jewish community? >> i think he is a good pope for the jewish community and a good pope for everyone that i can see because i think what he has done is moved the whole ball forward certainly, in terms of philosophically reinforcing the position, it's not one religion versus another religion, he moved it forward saying there will different paths people can take and that openness gives us encourage many, this allows there to be friendship, the friendship that pope francis speaks about is a friendship that involves and includes people with different opinions and those opinions don't have to be glossed over. by understanding each other and stating where he is and who we

are, that friendship has a deeper level of understand. i think that the deep religious spirit that he brings to this entire visit as well as the specific comments he has made gives me a lot of hope and gives the jewish community a lot of pleasure. >> father burna, francis talks about reaching across the religious divide and trying to create a dialog with judaism and hinduism and islam, and all the denominations, is it fanciful to think he can accomplish this and other people will get on board or does he have a real opportunity? >> both i think, he think he has accomplished it, a wonderful collection of conversations he had when he was archbishop with rabbi abraham scoreka.

dialog first and then listen to the other and are you not there to change the other but understand yourself better and your own truth better and i think a wonderful example of that prayer service of 9/11, at the memorial the other day, as pope john paul did, no representative of a faith higher than another. the greetings of the different representatives to each other, i think he is, again, making powerful statements symbolcly. >> the roman church has issues with the eastern church and they don't necessarily see eye to eye over the centuries, but one of the first thing francis did was to reach out to the eastern church in indication of what?

>> it's an indication of a commitment to community and it's a faith community but there are different faiths, but what i keep saying to myself is, his ears are not merely ornamental, he listens and you can't listen unless you are in dialog with people, he will listen throughout the rest of his short stay here in philadelphia when concluded a world meeting on families, but next month there is a sinid in rome where more concrete decisions will be made and he will take what he learned here and i see him as far more, if you will, horizontal than vertical, he is not eurocentric and comes from the southern

hemisphere and his commitment to going to the poor and needy, like today with the inmates. >> father byron just said that the pope's short stay in philadelphia, the man is going to be 79 years old in december, so it's difficult to know how long his stay will be in rome, will this man be a blip in time or he is the beginning of a new era for the catholic church and is that question? >> he already has a long impact and as long as god allows him to ably serve and believe he will have an impact.

no one thought that john the 23rd would have a moment us papalsy in just a short period of time and you hear people talk about the people's pope as in pope francis, john the 23rd was known as the good pope. you can use that same term for john the 23rd and francis, the good pope. i think that we are going to have no matter how long he is able to serve as pope, i think he will have a significant impact and already has had a significant impact on the church and the larger society. >> they talk about the theology of people when they talk about pope francis that people are more important than ideas. >> sure and i think we saw that earlier this morning when he was visiting the correctional facility in terms of how we notice how he was moving among the inmates, the one-on-one

personal relationship, we notice that as he goes around in the popemobile how he wants to reach out particularly to children, all the strengthening of relationships. >> the theology of people intersects with his personal relationship with the slums inb. francis is different, he was a scienti scientist, and a chemist and then a pope for the people, a whole different approach, he is a paster, a preacher. >> he is giving a renewed emphas emphasis, of this roman catholic church and we see this every

day, i think joseph nye of the kennedy school, very nicely talks but how francis has a good deal of soft power and the pope has said the words about poverty and we know that this focus on poverty is not new, but francis is a personality and the experiences you were speaking about. >> he has walked the walk. >> yes, walked the walk and bring a different focus and is not blurred or distracted by other things so he is able to have this singular focus and is trying to bring us all along. >> let me jump in, your question about the long range implications of a pope like this, i think it's profound for the jewish community and i sort of felt that as i was watching

him receive the testimonies and speeches of people, especially last night, i was watching and you know when a pope speaks to a person that is a powerful thing and enters their heart but what really struck me as you point out was this idea that he was listening, and when you listen to a person in that way, it shows you value the spark within them. and it really, i think more than even anything he could have said, the model of listening is something for those that are not catholic including the jewish communities, that idea of listening is very powerful and i think this will give this model of this pope, a part of his legacy that certainly will be there. >> it's listening and eye contact and extending your hand and giving a firm handshake and

he does that with every person he meets, eye contact and listening. >> we'll be back with more of our special edition of inside story in just a moment.

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here is a live look at the ben franklin parkway indeed it is beginning to fill up with pilgrims assembling here for the papal mass at 4:00, the weather is gorgeous, it is crystal clear and the crowd is getting big. there is no question about that.

and of course they are anxious to see the pope parade up and down the parkway in his jeep wrangler popemobile, which by the way was made in the state of ohio. >> how about that. >> that is a good thing. francis wants the church to be -- or wants gay people to feel more welcome into the church, he wants to feel more accepted. pope francis led the fight against gay marriage back in 2010, in argentina when the government of argentina wanted argentina to be the first latin american country to have a civil gay law, which was successful, francis unsuccessfully tried to prevent it and said this is not part of god's plan, gay

marriage. is there a contradictory there? >> i think there is a role there, marriage is a sacrament, it's not up for the state to say what is a sacrament, the bride confers the sacrament on the group and the church blesses that. i think that francis would be a defender of the dignity of gay person and insist their inheritance writes and access to the bedside in times of illness, that should be assured. but he would stop short of mage because marriage is a sacrament and the understanding of the church is that it is with a man and woman with an opening to procreation, and that is not possible in a gay union but if it's a civil union he would respect it, and the church may

indeed lets everyone go through the civil ceremony and then the sacramental union after, that is the way it is in other countries, guatemala for instance with my brother was married. >> francis says that god likes new things and isn't afraid of change, you don't think that will ever include gay marriage? >> no, i don't. there is the question of squaring the circle, you are talking about contradictions things that condition happen. men and women quite obviously are different, and they are complimentary but they are different and they are different for a reason and that reason has something to do with god's plan for family and god's plan for the happiness of the community. >> and this morning pope francis talked about that with the bishops in a way that talked about men and women, made in an

image of of the likeness of god and goes back to creation as he does all the time and said the last day the wonderful day, man and woman were created. >> when he says who am i to judge what does he mean? >> i think there is he drawing from respecting all dignity. that is one way to read that, but i also fall to his emphasis not only on respect for all persons, which he is giving renewed emphasis to, and my hope is at least apart from the sacramental question, is how the church responds to civic ordinances regarding housing discrimination and employment discrimination et cetera,

because there are local churches that tend to still fight those issues, i would hope that if we read francis well, he would say we should not be fighting those things for sure. but that statement also is a response to dignity and maybe, again no one has the opportunity to really dialog with him more, but allow the spirit to help us sense that when he says who am i to judge? it's god who makes the judgment and it's god who will judge people on who they love because we are all made in the likeness and image of god so who am i to say that love is not resonating in this love off marriage.

>> lets talk about the family, 2.0, of course created quite a hub bub last october talking about divorced catholics and homosexuality in the church. october is the next edition of this. and i don't know if you are aware of this, i was surprised to read it, there are 279 voting delegates in the cinid in october in rome how many women do you think are del greats. >> i would have to speculate i don't know. >> none. >> none? >> there are none. there are 30 who are going to be there as witnesses, observers but no voting delegates. how does the church begin to do

a better job in elevating the role of women in the church as pope francis specifically says he wants to do without one voting delegate at the cinid, determining the church's policy. >> i think it's a cinid of bishops, that is why there are no women there, there are no women bishops. >> i'm not sure if they are all bishops. >> they are. >> but in the world meeting of families there were so many women that presented so many wonderful speeches, helen alvarez a beautiful speech. >> the vatican had people there. >> but they do not have the weight or heft. and a woman as a chancellor for many years, as do other diocese.

>> they are the chief executive officers in the diocese. >> clearly, and i'm not sure that all the delegates are bishops, i have to look that up. >> no, no, no. believe i i like your chances. >> the fruit of that conference will be something he writes that comes out of this world meeting of families, what comes out, we'll see what that gives us. >> can i pull us back from this specifically and pull in the same sex, homosexuality we were talking about before, there is an incredible distifrpgs for catholics and it's almost

meaninglesslous they are all over the ideology spectrum. i know there is a lot of talk over the course of the weekend before the ideological distinctions between the archbishop of philadelphia and the archbishop of rome. right? this is yet normal issue where there are so many ways to be a catholic, and although there is a unity of teaching there is not a unity of practice or unity of belief and over 60% of american catholics think that same sex couples should be able to marry in the church and 80% of american women have used or are using contraception. >> i don't see a difference between the archbishop of philadelphia and the pope in the sense that they are both very

strict in doctrine, nothing changes, so i don't see that, in fact, the archbishop has tackled some things that completely we have heard during the last three days, that the pope has said. they work together, today the pope thanked archbishop chaput for getting the victims of abuse together and having him go visit them. if anything i think they are very close together and it's just a perspective that might be or an emphasis that might be different. >> i asked some, talking about the polls, that you cited. i asked archbishop chaput about that, he is interested in the polls but the catholic church does not determine truth and

false hood based on polls, it was an interesting thing and obviously true. we'll take a break and be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪

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in cellular shades and cascade double shades. that'll really make you look smart. blinds to go. blinds for life. welcome back to this special edition of inside story and you are looking live at the papal alter. and the crowd is building. what a beautiful sight. as we get wider and wider, we can see that the crowd is beginning to fill up, a lot of the ben franklin parkway, and i think that everybody is hoping for a terrific turnout tonight and we want the pope to think well of philadelphia and think well of the pilgrims in philadelphia, i say philadelphia but it's the entire region, there are people who are coming in, pilgrims coming in from far reaches of our viewing area and

we hope they make it and have a very special night. >> and the world too. they are coming from argentina and all over the place and the whole world is watching. >> absolutely. >> we talk about the francis effect and our reporters all today made mention that there are people on the parkway exhibiting these random acts of kindness and this feeling of friendliness and everybody is smiling, the francis effect, what is it going to be like next sun after he leaves. >> that is a good question, people say the attendance at mass is down will it be up next sunday, lets assume it will be up a notch or two, what do those people fine when they go to church, they walked into the next architectural setting. you sit there and look at the

back of someone else's head and is that the way you bring commune together and encourage celebration and how about the music and the quality of the choir, you have a great choir in the cathedral and the church in saint so and so church, it may not be that good, how about the smiling welcome, this pope is smiling everywhere he went, and how about the pastor to the parish will someone may decide to return next sunday, is he welcoming and smiling and sanding outside to say hello and glad you are here, is he out there when you are leaving saying nice to have you here and hope to see you again. we have a lot of work to do in creating the environment, that it's a welcoming environment of warmth in which people enjoy each others company as they celebrate their redemption in the lord.

and who is responsible for create that atmosphere? archbishop chaput? >> yes ultimately but it has to happen through synergy and people in the pew and the on coming challenge of the nuns and is there fire in the pulpit and fire in the pews, it cannot just be about the pastor and the priest, the people in the pews have to have energy, there is a synergy that has to be had, for me there are four things about worship, the presider, the preaching is done by the presider and music ministry, that is important and the participation in the people also. we can't leave the people in the pews out of this personality equation, i think that francis is going to leave a residue of

inspiration and encourage many, but there is still a lot of work to do and i will say finally it has to do with training that new priests, seminarians are receiving or not receiving especially when it comes to homilies and are you a people person. >> i read that pope francis' grandmother rosa who was an influence in his life, was the first to teach him the difference of compassion over judgment. >> judgment. isn't that what the church in philadelphia and everywhere else needs more than anywhere else. >> and she had an enormous impact on his life and he speaks to tamlies it's not just the children but the elders as well. >> you know what this is a great hour and i appreciate the participation, we have got to go. we are out of here.

we return to "action news" special coverage day two of the pope in philadelphia, i'm jim gardner.

good afternoon i'm monica malpass along with rick williams along is the parkway for papal coverage in philadelphia. a beautiful afternoon, the parkway is filled up three quarters full now, a far bigger crowd even more than last night and we are told that throngs more people are at security check point trying to get in and we hope they can get in before the papal mass and parade. >> we can talk about our security stories trying to get here and we expected that, but the crowds are increasing, waves and waves of people are coming to the parkway under anticipation of the pontiff's arrival here later this afternoon, speaking of the pope, lets talk about his itinerary as

it will unfold on his final day here in philadelphia today, pope francis is expected to start his second papal parade on the parkway at 3:25 today, there was one last night and this one is just before 3:30 and pope francis will celebrate the closing mass for the world meeting of families 4:00 sharp and he will wear green ve vestmentes especially made robes made in spain. they say that thousands could be given the communion today and the pope is scheduled to meet with joe biden and members of biden family at philadelphia international airport, and the pope will deliver final remarks thanks everyone, the world meeting of families leaders for coming to philadelphia for this world meeting of families and

there will be a ceremony and the marching band will perform to give him a sendoff and wheels up departing for rome at 8:00 this evening. lets bring in our esteemed colleague, cathy gandolfo, who has been to the vatican many times and covered previous popes, cathy we are a couple of hour as way from the mass on the parkway, what are your thoughts as more than a million people could converge here for the final destination of the pope. >> this is the highlight for all of the these people who come, they want to see the pope but even if they are watching on the jumbotrons, the papal mass is really the highlight of anyone of those trips, you know lets face it, unless are you up close he is a little dot, so you watch it on the jumbotrons but there

is something to be said for being in the crowd, this is huge numbers of people who are here united by a common belief, a common faith, not everyone is catholic perhaps that is out here, but most probably are, lets face it, and they are united in a common faith and up nighted behind the leader of their church. you hear the spontaneous chiefing and the spontaneous singing and the pope is not even here yet, but these people are having a wonderful time and they really get into the moment and that is my experience at all the papal masses i have covered both in rome and here in the united states. >> we are up at the 28th floor of the embassy suites we have an amazing birds eye view of the parkway and you can feel the excitement in the air up here, we can hear the practicing of

the musicians and you can hear the crowd roar, when they see anyone go by, not the pope yet but other leaders of the catholic church. >> the sound here on the 28th floor, the sound is so phenomenal, that you can experience everything. last night, i have to say, i stepped out on the balcony to listen to bocelli sing the lord's prayer, just hearing this, the beautiful backdrop and setting of the art museum, it was a moving experience. >> a part of history too. >> exactly. >> he has a wonderful voice, the weather is holding up so far as we look at throngs of people on the parkway they have prayed for no rain and perhaps their prayers have been answered. lets go to the person who perhaps is in the know, meteorologist, cecily tynan,

also here in our parkway studio with the latest from accuweather. >> reporter: what a beautiful fall day we have, a half hour ago, i was walking down the parkway with cathy gandolfo and a crew taking selfies with "action news" viewers and people were thanking me for this weather, i said no thank a higher power and it is dry and comfortable. temperatures we dropped 1 degree in philadelphia down to 68 degrees thanks to the thicker cloud cover but some areas especially to the south where there are thinner clouds temperatures in the low 70s, millville 73 and allentown 70. satellite 6 along with action radar show that low pressure i have been talking about for a week is well down to the south and we are not seeing any moisture from this. we are seeing clouds, the thicker clouds and the brighter white over philadelphia right now, if you look to the southwest, you can see breaks in

the clouds and thinner clouds and they are moving in in the afternoon and this allows temperatures to jump up a notch. winds not as strong as yesterday, it's breezy, philadelphia 10 miles per hour, closer to the coast though, we have win winds up to 20 miles per hour, a coastal advisory is in effect until 1:00 in the morning but it looks good for the papal mass, breaks in clouds and brightening in the skies, temperatures will be up to the low to mid-70s, 3:00, 73 and 4:00, 72 and 5:0070 degrees and at 6:00, 71 and 7:00, 10u7 and wheels up for the pope at 8:00, mostly cloudy and breezy, the bad news with the cloud cover, we'll have a tough time seeing the super moon eclipse in philadelphia, a better what happens north of the region but we'll be dry through the mass

today. all in all it's looking nice, back to you rick and monica. >> thank you cecily. and we are situated here we have our team of reporters doing a terrific job for the entire two day visit, we have them situated along the parkway to give us a different vantage point. here is sara bloomquist. >> reporter: hi rick and monica, a lovely atmosphere when are listening to performances, this is it, the day the matt we are waiting for at 3:00 this afternoon, the pope is arriving transferred to the popemobile and he will proceed down the parkway, here is the stage behind me. we are saying for weeks and months, a million to million and a half people are expected. it sure looks like a lot of people on the parkway, you'll remember that those ten,000

tickets sold in 30 seconds. these are especially ticketed seats, people up very, very close to where this mass will be celebrated. the pope will be delivering the homily today in spanish and there are four languages represented vietnamese, spanish, english and latin. vietnamese we are told that many reg strants for the world meeting of family are from vietnam. >> there is a variety program you can call it today, a scene of reference, people are happy to see the screen come down, our iconic art museum on display here at the rear of the stage, people started to arrive in these seats at 10:00 this

morning. a. >> this is the most amazing thing i have ever been to. >> seeing everyone come through and trying to put names to faces. >> how did you get these seats? >> i am a business manager for one of parishes and the pastor offered them to me. >> what has impressed you so far fshlgt just the size of the crowd and the proximity that we'll be to the pope. >> as we look back live, i want to tell you what happened here this morning, there was a bit of a dust up, over this tent that was put up here in front of the stage, it was put up to protect the orchestra, likely because

there were forecasts of pop-up showers so they put this tent up, but what happened behind that there were people on the parkway that were there for hours and that tent blocked their view of the stage where the mass will be celebrated and the crowd was not happy about that at all, there were loud chants of take down the tent let the people see the pope and guess what, they took down the tent and the people can see the pope and they are waiting to see the pope, at 3:00 the pope will arrive and another popemobile parade and then the mass this afternoon. i'm sara bloomquist, channel 6 "action news." back to you. >> thank you sara, we are hearing some spontaneous musical performances and people are cheering on the streets. lets move farther up the

parkway, nora muchanic is in front of the basilica, where throngs of people are gathering as well. >> reporter: hi there rick, we are outside of the basilica, there are a number, dozens and dozenser deconthat are arriving, they are arriving on bus loads, it's interesting when they get here, the crowds erupt, the people will cheer for anything they are so happy. i have a deconhere with me. we are distributing communion in a little while and going out to the people here in this area, when we came in they were cheering us, it was amazing, it brought chills to you and tears to me, they were so happy to have us here. >> for each of you, there are 350 individual decons handing out communion, do you know how many you have, we interviewed

the nuns that were making them. >> we are told we are distributing them for 20 minutes, i'm not sure how much that is, but 20 minutes they are figuring. >> how exciting it this? >> this is great, i was just ordained two months ago from metuchen, it's a world wind year we have had. >> and to see the mass by the holy father. >> amen. it's incredible. >> thank you for talking to us and good luck. >> listen, the crowd here today, it's unbelievable. i want you to look down there if you can, that is the 18th street security check zone, the wait there a little while ago was hours, there are people waiting for two hours three hours, some folks shows up at 6:00 this morning, take a look at this crowd here this, is logan square

and the circle beyond, there are people camping there with blankets and food and everything you can possibly imagine with them to keep them company and going until the holy father has mass, they are excited about what is go on and of course the idea that everyone is here together, all different people from all over the world, behind me the noted grotto that has gained so much attention. look at all of those strips, each piece of paper a tension, a problem that someone has and they are praying to mary the undoer of knots. that is the latest from the basilica, the decons are ready, they are fanning out throughout the crowd to search communion to this crowd. i don't know if you remember the

nuns we visited in langhorne, they have been slaving for month to make thousands of communion hosts to distribute to this crowd, a lot going on here at the basilica, everybody is waiting and the excitement is unbelievable. i'm nora muchanic, back to you guys. >> thanks nora. we did mention at the beginning of the broadcast it appears that tens of thousands of people are at security check points, here is the map showing the check point locations, this is specifically a place for people with tickets, to get through you have to use a check point on pennsylvania avenue or on the south side on 20th and 21st street. >> and for people without tickets, there are entry points all over the parkway two on cherry street and two on 17th and two on chestnut, you can enter from 19th street at 15th and cherry and broad and arch

streets, people are hoping to get here in time to see the papal parade, and be part of this huge historical mass, but to get through the check point, they are lucky it takes two and three hours to get through. lets go to wendy saltzman outside of the philadelphia city hall, you talked to the mayor among other people. how are you? >> hi monica, it's interesting because the mayor said that it's careful to realize you can't measure the success of this event based on the number of people we have seen here since yesterday, the world meeting of families, said it would be 1.5 million people here in philadelphia, and there was concern that they would meet the numbers, and we thought there was not as many buses as they had thought, now today is the big event the mass at 4:00 and we want to show you the video of the security lines, people are

getting ready trying to pour into that mass. and people are on the parkway and lines are taking over an hour to hour and 15 mines to get in. one check point at callow hill has now been open to the general public to ease the backlog and there has been some concern and criticism about all the security and we spoke to the mayor about his response to the critics, this is what he had to say. >> as the afternoon wears on, they can figure out other strategies to get as many people in as possible and have this wonderful experience, once in a lifetime experience for some, they will make the adjustments, but at the ends of the day it's about security and safety and that is why the secret service is involved, but i cannot tell them how to do their job. >> reporter: and now four of the

five main outdoor events went off without a hitch and now this one, the mass, expected to be the biggest one, that is the next event, we asked the mayor when things would return to normal, that is a question that most people would have, but he cannot give us an exact time. they will decide when to open streets in the city as well as major highways based on where the crowds are, if the crowds are walking the streets in the city they will remain closed but once they clear out they will get the city back to normal as quickly as possible. >> all right wendy thank you. well, a lot of pilgrims and tourists are coming into town, still coming into town this hour and one way is by train, lets go to reporter john rawlins live at 30th street station. good afternoon. >> reporter: well, the rush hour is pretty much over, the inbound

rush hour, the last septa train arrived here at 1:15, as people are scurrying to try to get into the city, quite frankly from you not here by now getting through security would be tough. we have video of the trains coming in today, a busy day on the trains, more busier than yesterday, people arrived by train to 30th street station and were joined in a larger stream of humanity on 30th street and at amtrak with the market frankford l, and we are waiting for more numbers, amtrak was expecting 80% more riders than yesterday and septa's paoli line move at least 5,000 people, 1500 people more than yesterday and we spoke with a rider, jeff gregory and was returning to center city for the second day

in a row. >> today is about the mass, yesterday was about the events, taking in the international feel of it, and today is more about the mass. >> you have tickets? >> yes. >> will you be -- >> i'm not sure, we saw him last night when he drove by, but today you get up as close as you possibly can. >> all right, for folks in the transit business, the looming issue is the late rush hour, that will start at 5:30, we believe,ing it be a big challenge to move all the folks for the return trip, unlike yesterday there were staggered events, people started to come at 5:30 and others at 7:30 and 9:30, the conclusion of the mass is all at once and all the waves of people that have come in over many hours earlier today will

want to leave center city asap. that is the case they believe so what they are anticipating, a big rush and they will have holding zones for people but are asking anyone that is taking the trains or transit today to bring their patience, they will take a while to get through all the crowds and get them home safely, live at 30th street station, john rawlins, channel 6 "action news." >> thank you john. lets swing over to chad pradelli over on the ben franklin bridge on the philadelphia side talking to the become doing the two mile walk across. how are you seeing things today. >> reporter: it's going well, this is a scene we have seen most of the day, a steady stream of people making the two mile walk from camden into philadelphia, it seems just as many people are out here on the bridge working out or running or by bike or roller blading, it's

not often that the ben franklin bridge is shut down, plenty of people are using the bridge as a gateway to the pope and the extra miles you tack on to get to the parkway, i spoke to some officials, they tell me that patco ridership is up compared to yes, a 40% increase and are working on exact numbers, but people are using patco to get over here for the papal mass. we thought maybe there would be fewer people using the bridge but it seems a lot of people are using the bridge, walking across and down to the parkway for the papal mass, it's a nice occasion and there is a long walk and people are tired but it's a small price to pay to get a chance to see pope francis, a nice day out here. the weather is cooperating and temperatures in the high 60s and people are actually enjoying

this walk and it's part of the pilgrimage to city the pontiff. >> all right chad thank you. our special coverage continues on 6 abc. we are taking a quick break. ññ

as we welcome you back into our special papal coverage right here on channel 6, a live look now along the ben franklin parkway where the crowds are waiting in anticipation for the pope to make his way to the parkway for this afternoon's outdoor papal mass. the crowds of course are gathering all day making sure they are in the spot that they can claim. so hopefully get a glimpse of pope francis, if they didn't get one yesterday they are hoping to get one today. people traveled from all over the world to be here for this

special ocean. i am joined by brian taff in our eakins oval studio, where we expect the pope to deliver the mass this afternoon brian. >> this has been totally transformed into an alter where pope francis will give mass and so many people are coming throughout the day, the enormous cloud behind us is gathered for several hours, and there are several musical performances leading up to the mass all afternoon, everything we have heard about the crowds from our crew of reporters holds true here as well. i can tell you my wife and her parents are in those crowds, she texted me two hours ago from the 20th street security check point, and she texted me out and they are still two hours out.

>> for some they made sure to stay out overnight as close as they could get so when the sun came up they could ease their way into here as close as they could get. we are expecting larger crowds today and we have seen it already. it continues to be the case for us all day, they are flowing in throughout the evening but we expect that to be different, this area behind us is a ticketed area, you had to be awarded or rewarded a ticket for this stage, we see now more chairs are brought out to accommodate the choirs that are performing this afternoon. >> if you were watching our coverage, you wonder why there was so many empty chairs in fronts of that stage, now we know the answer, that entire back row that was empty last night, or back 15 or 20 rows was reserved for the choir singing

500 strong today joining the philadelphia orchestra to provide the musical accompaniment for this mass, that gets underway an hour and a half or so from now. lets go to the ground and our reporter, jeff jericho, what does it look like from where you are. >> reporter: i agree with you, the crowds are much larger today and this is where the pilgrimage seems to come to an end, whether people come from trains, planes or automobile, this is where they come to head to the secure zone, we spoke with people from california, oregon and even poland coming to the mass, these folks don't even have tickets but are going any way. this group from ohio caught our attention this is why. >> go jesus go! go jesus go!

>> huge cheers from saints mary's parish in hudson, ohio, their excitement is infectious, they left and stopped in gettysburg for a religious stop and then made their way to philadelphia yesterday just in time to see the pep. >> we waited there all day and when the pope came around everyone went crazy. >> he brings the church into the modern century and focusing more on including others into the church instead of excluding them and making it like a year of mercy and being so much more merciful. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> reporter: that was absolutely beautiful and touching rendition there from the folks from hud some, ohio, there are folks coming out here and kids from all over, and that is exciting seeing how much children are coming to be in the presence of our pontiff. >> absolutely jeff, we feel the excitement here where we are, having the same experience there among the crowds, lets switch now to ali gorman, this has been a weekend where emergency crews and first sponsors are asked to pull overtime to take care of people. >> >> reporter: many of them have been working around the clock and so far things are twoitwo ing going well, we are talking

to the woman that received a kidney transplant yet and had to get the transfer over the ben franklin bridge and we are getting ready to talk to her later, and we checked in with the american red cross and they helped to man the first aid medical tents set up around the city this weekend and so far things are going well, they report one serious illness and 90 minor injuries treated. the red cross is instrumental this weekend, they have 600 volunteers helping they help with the first aid tents and provide shelter for thousands of volunteers in the city and they gave out about 90 cases of water yesterday and another opportunity they have had was to reunite people. they reunited families that losted a loved one in the crowd. >> a family that came from haiti

from this event was separated from a loved one, the bus back to new york would not wait, the family got off the bus and came to the red cross and we activated our system of safe and well and reconnected the family but equally as important we got them to 30th street and got them tickets and got them on a train to take them back home. >> obviously a much needed service this weekend, you don't really think about you're going to lose a loved one but they are traveling with families of 20 and 30 people deep and they expect to use that service again today. it is called safe and well, 855-299-2144. we are outside of jefferson university hospital, ali gorman, back to you brian. >> thank you.

the crowd is significant but they are not bringing rain at this point and it isn't look like they will. adam joseph is standing by with more on the parkway. you are talking to folks out there today too. >> reporter: oh yeah, i'm in a residential neighborhood and this is a different scene from yesterday, yesterday you walked around here and you could easily get around, this is 23rd and spring garden and you can see there is a line the entire day where yesterday you could blast through that security check point and you have to think about this, it's spring garden, they transformed their front yard and backyard into a block party, the neighbors have really embraced everything that is going on here and taking on what the pope said last night about family and love and unity so to speak and everyone coming together and really enjoying

themselves, look here one of the neighbors we are staying here, has set up a red carpet, you can sit on the throne and dress up as the pope and they have the miter hat and everything. and the crowd is coming by, you guys biked by me first, you came biking by and we took a selfie. where did you come from? >> collegeville. >> how did you get down here? >> when to conshohocken and parked and then biked down. >> how was it frmg great. we made it. >> how do you score the golden tickets? >> from our parish. >> what does is mean to you guys, you came from collegeville from a car to bike and now walking, what does is mean to you? >> he is a man with 1.2 million

followers and we came out to pay tribute. >> and i want to thank my friends for bringing me. >> a neighborhood feel, but some people coming from out seed of neighborhood. >> where are you from young lady? >> atlanta, georgia. >> was this planned or last minute? >> i bought my tickets last minute, my sisters and nieces live here and they were talking it up and i got excited too and wanted to be here. >> how was your stay in philadelphia and what words come to your mind being in the city at this moment? >> it's awesome, the number of people, and the number of people inside yesterday that waited for hours just to get a glimpse of the pope driving by, it's a lifetime memory. >> i think we'll all come out of

their weekend with our own pope stories and memories that will last a lifetime. >> i love this, can we open it up? i see these people with these little handy seats, you are going to be standing in line for a couple of hours. >> you can tell you work at a geriatrics center, my little cane street. >> reporter: we were invited on the roof deck last night by a neighbor -- who? >> she has a roof deck. >> yes, are you inviting us up? >> yes it's unlocked come on in. >> this is my neighborhood, it's crazy to see effect shut down, i'm used to the hustle and bustle of people on the streets, it's magical actually with no cars.

>> they call pope-cation, a residential neighborhood, welcoming people from all of the world and neighbors coming together on really a magical weekend. >> i think adam if anyone can fine a roof deck party it will be you, and you found it and you have the pope parties and the pope chair. >> lets get to annie mccormick at 19th and wood, what is it like out there at the check points now? >> reporter: right here at 19th and wood it's a two to three hour wait time to get through this check point. they all came from new york. >> new york! >> how long did it take you to get through? >> almost three hours. >> and what is the mood like when are you waiting? are people agitated? >> no, very, very happy.

very happy. >> great you came prepared too, i heard my colleague talking with a group of people, you have chairs and everything else, you have clear bags and stools and chairs and you are bringing that down to the parkway. >> that is right. >> do you have tickets for the event? >> no. you are going to go to mass and then head back tonight. is it worth the wait? >> yes! >> thank you so much guys, i want to give you a look over here at the check point, they just went through, it took them about three hours, averaging about a two to three hour wait to get through the check point -- good job guys! watch the cords. you can see back there, you can see where the tent is, the way they do this is there is a

number of law enforcement from different agencies and members of tsa the people that get you through the airport check points and items you are allowed to bring through if you are allowed to go to the airport. i went through earlier this morning, it took me 45 minutes, a significant longer time. it only took me 5 minutes, this is video from a little bit ago, giving us an idea of the crowds, we caught up with one group. >> we sang. and we did a lot of cheers and it was fun because we got to sing with other groups and in defrn languages and it was cool to interact with them like that. >> prayed some of the rosaries as well. >> it's a beautiful time to get to know everything around you, people came from all over the world and it's cool to see their cultures and the way they praise

christ, because everything praises him differently. it's really beautiful. >> people from all walks of life we are seeing here and making new friends in the lines, we'll tell you it is long, i am seeing on twitter there are a lot of different check points and long lines as well. give us an idea what it's like at every check point. they opened a 20 person callow hill check point, we are hearing from some people that they had to be in place at 2:00 for certain seating that they had for the mass, and that is one concern now, i have not encountered a number of people that have that situation, and another member of their parish was texting them that and there was concern if they would make it on time. if there is still a two hour wait there is a concern they

could not make the mass, nora muchanic was reporting earlier, that the check point at that area of the parkway was four hours, it appears that one has a much longer line than this one, what i'm hearing on twitter, and if you hear this and it's not correct. that 20th and callow hill is your best bet. that is the situation, people are trying to help out and plenty of law enforcement and the mood is good and people hopefully will get through and get there safely. annie mccormick, channel 6 "action news." >> thank you. of course lets hope they make it through, this is of course what they came down here for, they want to see pope francis and the pope is trending and a big talker around the world. lets join eva pilgram in the studio with more surrounding pope francis with social media.

>> reporter: we have seen several things shared with us on social media, some people went to their phones to complain that this tent was blocking their view of where the pope will be, dave barker tweeting move that contents, it was for the arc extra, the city of philadelphia responded by saying they heard and the tent went down. >> the crowd poured in early and it's quite clear the pollry father needs help passing out the communion, here is a look at people assisting him. just to give you a look at the numbers of people and what it takes to get into security, look at this madison elliot, part of our student social media team, everyone is coming to 20th street and it's crazier by the minute and these pilgrims have an incredible spurt of happiness and peace, and daisy captured an

incredible moment of togetherness on walnut street, a man started to sing with his guitar and check out what happened next. ♪ ♪ hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah ♪ ♪ >> reporter: you hear the whole crowd singing with the man on the guitar and harmonizing perfect strangers singing at one in line. and amy sent us this, her

daughter made a lego version of the pope in his popemobile while her family watched the festivities from their home on tv. 6 abc is the only place to see the entire papal mass from start to finish, we hope you'll keep the pictures and videos coming and send them to us using #6abcaction, and send us your greeting for the pope using 6 abc messages. >> all right eva, a miniature popemobile there pretty cool. >> i'm struck by that gentlemen breaking out his guitar and everybody breaking out in song, we hear stories like that up and down the parkway, on any given day crowds like this would be frustrating but people are resigned to it and enjoying the experience. the mass is little less than an hour and 20 minutes.

we are told that the pope is on the move on about to be on city avenue, as soon as we lay eyes on pope francis, we'll bring that to you.

and welcome back monica malpass and rick williams. a live look at the parkway, looking at the hundreds of thousands of people getting close to a million as we wait for the papal mass and the papal parade and we hear that the pontiff is on his way having left the seminary just moments ago. >> we hear that he may make a special stop at st. joe's university, a jesuit school one of only 28 in the united states, the thought is he may stop by there, lets go live to trish hartman and find out the latest. >> reporter: hi there monica, big crowds here outside of st.

joseph's university after the school confirms they expect the pope to make a visit to the campus, the crowded expect him to come down city avenue and then to turn down cardinal avenue, they have lined the streets here waiting to get a glimpse of the pontiff as he passes by and then expected to enter the campus, if we can turn around, the scene inside of the campus, hundreds of students have gathered inside of saint joseph's chapel. the name of that statue is called synagogue in our time. this sculpture was just dedicated on friday and commissioned by the university to commemorate a vatican document, meaning in our time, the 155 declaration is said to change the relationship between the jesuit and catholic church.

the quote on the base of this sculpture, is a quote from pope francis, it reads, there exits a rich compliment from the church and jewish people that helps us mine the riches of god's word and it shows two people sharing sacred text. it's hard to see in there it's a bronze sculpture in the middle of all the students, it's very tight and in the thick of things there and we were told by the secret service to leave because this event is not open to the media. a number of students inside along with secret service and state troopers and local police as well. people are waiting by the windows and students waiting inside of dorm building and watching from their windows, waiting to get a glimpse as the pope comes to campus to visit

this inter faith statue and a copy of this was presented to pope francis when the delegation visited the vatican earlier this year so he has his own version of this statue. we are hearing choppers and police escorts going up and down the street for a few minutes here now, obviously hundreds of people have lined the streets hoping to see pope francis, we hear he is on the move but hope to see him here very soon. trish hartman, channel 6 "action news." >> all right trish thank you, back here on the parkway, we want to check in with reporter, katherine scott, joining us below us in the unticketed portion of the parkway, hi there katherine. >> reporter: when we got here earlier this morning, most people that were here were just sleeping and they are not sleeping anymore, the atmosphere is electric for the pope's

arrival on the parkway, you can see all the people filing in on the parkway just waiting for the pope's arrival, you don't need tickets but you need to go through security check points and the lines are piling up, people camped out here they picked their spots near the fences and grabbed their blankets and tried to get a little bit of sleep, they wanted to avoid security and got in here early without too many problems but as the day got later, more and more people came through the security lines and there are backups and right where we are right now people have been here for a long time, it's difficult to get up here if you were not already here, you can expect a lot of energy, when the pope coming here, people will go wild, they want to catch a glimpse of him, he is the people's pope and his message

resonates with people and people want to witness this event on the parkway and hear him celebrate mass with people from across the globe in attendance, one thing we got earlier, this is the program for today, they distributed it here to people on the parkway, inside we have, solemn pass for the 26 and sunday of ordinary time, pope francis homily. we are standing and quite a bit away from the alter, that is down from the parkway, there are jumbotrons. and people can see what is going on and of course pray together here, thousands upon thousands of people are packed here to celebrate this moment together. katherine scott, channel 6 "action news." >> thank you katherine.

>> we want to show you now pictures we are seeing, incredible sights, people that came here a long time ago and they are exhausted already and they are determined to get their moment and get as close as they can possibly get, they are taking a moment to relax and have water and there are pallets and stacks and stacks of free water available up and down the parkway in case it was a hot, sweltering day but folks any time can use water, they spret out their blankets and chairs and trying to relax a bit, another hour or so before he arrives. >> so many people got here earlier this morning to avoid the large lines at the check poin points it stands to reason they bring their own chairs. lets go to st. joe's now we are

told he just arrived. >> this is one of 28 jesuit schools in the united states, and he is the first jesuit pope and there was great home he would stop by and make a brief hello to the students and maybe bless some of their statues and other relics in the school. a moment they were hoping for and now they are getting what they dreamed of. we are told that the pope is joined with a local rabbi, a special friend for a special ceremony taking place out sood of the statue, a statue commemorating the relationship between catholics and jewish people. and that is what we are told, look at the crowds, the students and faculty here.

on this detour to the parkway. there was a cryptic tweet that students received this morning saying there was going to be an appearance of the pontiff at the chapel, having received this tweet, here is the crowd waiting for the pontiff to arrive. lets go to trish hartman, who is also there on campus. what do you see and what do you hear? >> reporter: we are hearing a lot of cheers at first and then things are very hushed right now as the pope is visiting the statue, it's hard to see through the crowds of people there, but there are many students gathered around this sculpture, and students have been waiting here for hours, like you said, things were tweeted out earlier, you can hear the crowds cheering and folks at st. joe's confirmed via twitter that the pope was coming

to campus, students are taking pictures and some students are on other's shoulders, and state troopers are trying to keep people back and the pope is visiting this statue that was commissioned by the university, and commissioned by philadelphia artist, joshua kauffman, it's a bronze sculpture, with a quote on the base, i visited this sculpture the other day because this rumor was swirling for a couple of days, it reads there exit as he rich compliment between the church and the jewish people. they are talking about infaith acceptance and the relationship between the catholic church and those of the jewish faith. the actual sculpture depicts two people sharing sacred texts from the church and synagogue with one another, and a smaller version of this sculpture was

presented to pope francis in rome when a delegation from philadelphia visits the vatican earlier this year, they hoped that pope francis would come to visit the statue and when students got word he might be on campus they started gathering here and now everyone is taking in this scene here as he gathers in front of saint joseph's chapel visiting the new sculpture at st. joseph's university. it's electric here. >> i'm sure it is, it's interesting to see all the groups that pope francis is trying to reach out and touch, his visit to the prison this morning and meeting with sexual abuse victims and saying there is no place for the abuse of children in the catholic church. and the pope is really reaching

out to every single group. and a big cheer coming out they see him coming out from the blessing. >> by the way saint joe's was one of the first colleges in the country to form many jewish-catholic relations, and now a statue erected outside of the university, and the pontiff is holding a small ceremony, after he left on his way to the ben franklin parkway, we see the excitement and the rush of students and faculty to where the pontiff is heading, perhaps to that statue after arriving several moments ago. >> and this is their moment in history like everyone that has gathered a wave from the pontiff, everybody wants a tiny piece to say they were there

when pope francis came to their school, a wonderful moment for the school and the faculty and the artist of this sculpture as the pope makes his way from winfield to city avenue and down to the ben franklin parkway here in center city philadelphia trying to reach many different people in several different counties in one visit, we are told he is leaving campus now, a short but sweet ceremony to be sure, but never the less a meaningful detour at st. joe's university. as we mentioned the students received a tweet and email he would be here at the chapel and now is leaving and heading this way. i'll bring cathy in. as we look at st. joe's university. we know that the pope likes to do things up expectedly and do

things you don't necessarily see from his predecessors, it's not surprising? >> we have seen him take detours from his speeches the last few days, he goes off script a lot. and we all kind of surmise that he will take a side trip somewhere. we didn't know where it would be, we heard rumors perhaps, one of the jesuit establishments in the city. it makes for an easy spot and he goes slightly -- a slight detour but not too far off course and now he can get back to the parkway when he is suppose to be here. >> now we see the pope's motorcade departing st. joe's university and other groups requested he stop by and bless

their monuments and many of them had high hopes but he could not fit in everyone and this one is special and there he is waiving to the crowd and the excitement just reached a clam arctic moment. >> many students were hoping he would make the stop at the campus and indeed they did. >> lets talk about the mass that is expected to get underway in just about an hour, a little over an hour from now, there will be more than 500 members of a choir singing together for the first time. there are parts of local choirs and churches and parishes that never had a chance to rehearse together? just about an hour from now we'll hear the heavenly voices of choir members getting a chance to sing as one.

>> they have sung in individual groups but never has the 125 group ever been all together and we have a beautiful done photo essay, lets take a look now. >> lets start with this eight notes. ♪ ♪ lets start from there -- one, two, three -- ♪ ♪ >> i'm surprised how amazing the choir sounds, you cast a wide net, you think what are we going to get and they sound wonderful. >> my older brother sang fort last pope in washington, d.c. when he was here, and now i get my chance i'm really excited. ♪ ♪ it was all an audi