beginning to reopen. next up on "action news" tonight. may god bless you all.

god bless america. >> with that, pope francis ended two unforgettable in philadelphia. it was a final leg of the historic trip to the united states that brought reflection, conversation, and for many, a renewed sense of spirit. it is sunday night, i'm jim gardner. the the big story on "action news" tonight is end of the pope francis visit to philadelphia and the united states. the the city gave the holy father its warmest welcome and in return received an experience that it will remember for years to come. the day began with a note of gravity as pope tackled the issue of clergy sex abuse in the morning meeting with victims. francis sent a message of humanity and forgiveness to inmates at curran-fromhold prison. after a surprise visit to st. joes, university it was once gannon to the parkway for another jubilant parade a among the people where, baby, after baby was handed to the

holy father. each blessed with the kiss. at 4:00 o'clock, this striking image from above, as thousands of -- as thousands upon thousands of pilgrims stood shoulder to shoulder in respectful silence, and then, the mass. as pope francis bid farewell to the city of philadelphia, he issued a familiar request. pray for me. we have team coverage tonight, on this final day of the papal visit. "action news" reporter -- well, put it this way, "action news" anchors monica malpass and rick williams has the story from their perspective. >> jim, good evening. parkway may never be the same after such a blessed weekend, waves and waves of people coming in, early this morning, and, waiting for the the mass to start and for the second papal parade to get underway. so there was a little bit of anticipation throughout the day. >> tremendous memories, two

parades. it was so magical. a a daytime parade and much more. >> when the pontiff returned to the parkway in his, white pope mobile, that is when the parkway, there was a crescendo of cheers, eruption, cheer, joy, smiles and we have video to show you as he returned to parkway. this was his second parade after last night. the white pope mobile such a dramatic sight here along the parkway. so many people lining either side and riding through the the streets to cheer him, and flag waving crowds, kissing babies as he made his way to the alter in both the art museum for today's outdoor papal mass. >> then, of course, mass itself filled with beauty, reverence, pageantry was all inspiring with the art museum at backdrop for magnificent alter. then both catholics and non-catholics gathering, crowd estimates are the at 800,000 people, and listening to pope francis every word as he delivered the homily.

and he did pose a simple question to the world's audience. >> in my own home do we shout or do we speak to each other in love and tenderness? that is a good way of measuring our love. >> and quite simply that was his message. families love tenderness. >> it was a week even we will never forget. i'm's trying to remember when archbishop chaput referred to philadelphia as francisville because that is what it became for 48 hours. we were happy to take part in the spirit and spirituality of francisville for a short time. >> thanks very much, and back to you, jim. >> jim, back to you. >> thanks, guys. there is a francisville neighborhood between fairmount and ridge, we should have gone there today but we didn't get a chance. thanks, guys. lets turn to "action news"

reporter sarah bloomquist live at eakins oval. sarah, the clean up operation has got to be one of the biggest we have seen. what is it like right there? >> reporter: jim, here on eakins oval from the moment that mass ended, crews started to work to break down this stage, they rolled up the carpet, took down the cross, and started to stack up the chairs. it took days to go up and it is the not taking very long to come down. that is okay. we're left with amazing memories of what happened this weekend. i will never forget the communion, the highlight of the mass, a at least for me, that brought many to tears. hundreds of priests came down from their seats near the alter and walked down the parkway. they were escorted by nuns, world meeting of family volunteers, holding yellow and white umbrellas to signal where the priests were standing. the crowd of thousands waited patiently, one by one, they took their turns and received communion. people here today told us that

they were so moved by this mass, and thrilled to take part in history. >> i think the whole experience, it was a calm, quiet. we went through yesterday and then seeing the pope, you know, we weren't up close but we could see him and that was very nice. >> i enjoyed when the pope says, when he asks for people to pray for him. it is very humbling, and it just shows the type of person he is. >> very inspiring. pope francis is an amazing man. he is so humble. the way he lights up when he sees children. it was a wonderful experience. >> i enjoyed all of the prayers, and the speeches. >> reporter: and the music. beautiful, wasn't it. >> yeah. >> reporter: it was so beautiful. in fact, still tonight as some of the barricades start to come down people are riding their bikes up on to the parkway just to get a look at the stage up close. i think we will be basking in

the francis glow, for some time to come. live on eakins oval, i'm sarah bloomquist for channel six "action news", jim. those who could not get up close were able to watch the mass on a jumbo trons. they were set up around city hall and along the parkway so people even a mile away, were able to see, and hear, the the pope. and meanwhile pope francis is now on his way home. before taking off, the pope met with vice-president joe biden. his plane took off at 7:45. the pope gave philadelphia a final wave good bye. before the pope left he expressed his gratitude to 400 leaders to the world meeting of families, supporters and other volunteers. francis spoke in english as he thanked church leaders in washington and new york for their work to organize his trip here.

>> my days with you have been brief but they have been of great, great for me and i hope for you too. >> during his six day visit to the united states, the pontiff delivered more than 20 addresses, including speeches before congress, the u.n., and here in the at independent mall. he celebrated four masses, and he canonized a saint. meanwhile authorities are already starting to lift pope-related traffic restrictions. lets get to matt pellman at the "action news" big board, matt. >> jim, as we expected those closures are starting to fall earlier then authorities had initially said they thought they would. in fact they just reopened eastbound side of 76, schuylkill expressway. here are some of the first vehicles rolling in the eastbound lanes. westbound has been reopened for a little bit now. mlk drive appears to be still shut down but they have

reopened the kelly drive from the falls bridge on into boat house row. that will be available to you tomorrow morning. hopefully the vine street expressway will be as well, that remains closed tonight, as do many of the city streets but they have been making progress reopening those streets and traffic box. this is a live look at north broad street by spring garden. still crews out here in the street doing clean up and removing those huge conn crease barriers. ben franklin bridge, will be available tomorrow morning. they expect to get it opened by 4:00 a.m. which would stand to reason that 676 and admiral wilson boulevard toward the bend been will also be opened for the morning commute. regional rails, we will not be back to normal tomorrow. they are going to run on a saturday schedule. trains won't run quite as frequently which could cause some crowding, subways will be back to normal though all stations will reopen in time for tomorrow morning's commute. jim? >> thanks, so much, matt. while much of the pope's visit was marked by moments of

joy, the who will your father did not shy away from difficult topics. this morning, he revealed that he had met with victim of clergy, clergy sex abuse. after that meeting he issued very strong word to the bishops. "action news" reporter erin o'hearn has details. >> reporter: pope francis ceremonial walk down the logia on his last day in philadelphia and the u.s. he stopped briefly at end of the the hall to speak with the young seminarians. while hundreds of the priests, bishops and members of the seminary shared sentiments in the center this morning pope francis began the speech addressing a life altering issues for thousands within the the catholic church, the priest sexual abuse scandal. >> people who have had the responsibility to take care of these tender ones violated that trust, and caused great pain. >> reporter: the pontiff met with five victims of the sexual abuse, three women and two men who were victimized as

children by priest, relatives, and teachers. >> i commit to a careful oversight to ensure that youth are protected and that all responsible will be held accountable. >> reporter: holy father went on to emphasize the the importance of family and denounce consumerism. he touched on social media which he labeled as a lonely outlet destroying personal relationships in our youngest generation. young generation of seminarians prepared months for the pope's visit and presentation of the two gifts, that they believe, would best reflect the heart of the jesuit priest from argentina. >> we gave that to him. we also did a bunch of spiritual pledges. >> reporter: although greatest gift was word and presence in the the seminary, pope francis did leave this. >> tradition toys exchange a zucchetto with the pope and this zucchetto was placed on the pope's head and he told us

he was leaving this here as a momento of his visit. >> this was on the pope's head. >> yes. >> very special to you. >> very special to us all. >> reporter: at saint charles seminary, erin o'hearn, channel six, "action news". after meeting with the bishops he visited prisoners at curran-fromhold correctional fat it is. pope francis shook hear hands, gave them blessings and received hugs from some of the inmates. prisoners showed their gratitude by presenting the pope with the chair, a chair that they themselves built, pope francis, gave them, the the thumbs up, and then took a seat. coming up on "action news" our coverage of the pope's visit continues, the the holy father made two unscheduled stops today, on to a plate where thousands have asked for and offered their prayers. we will hear from the local activist who received a surprise text telling her that the pope is on his way. as pilgrims are making their way out of the city tonight public transit is being put to the test, here in center city to see how people

are coping. well, jim, we made it through papal weekend dry but we could use rain and i'm tracking one but potential for two good soakings on the way. i'm tracking that. i'll have details on the accu weather forecast. we have to say that some fans are saying the pope 's blessings extended to the eagles today, jeff skversky with that story when "action news" continues in just a moment.

it is a long road home tonight for hubs of thousands of people, who spent this long day, along the parkway. many are on foot, like here on the ben franklin bridge tonight, headed to new jersey. by the the way, ben franklin bridge is set to reopen at 4:00 a.m., reopen, to vehicular traffic. that scene is being repeated in and around center

city philadelphia tonight as people try to make their way home, "action news" reporter wendy saltzman has that part of the story. >> reporter: moments after the end of the mass, masses started to clear out. people who bode for papal prayers are praying they can get home without too much wait. that job sits on the shoulders of the septa deputy general manager jeff. >> and people can expect, on average, maybe an hour wait, maybe a little bit longer. some will do better. but it is just going to take sometime and patients, but, you know, i think it has been great for the city and we will work hard to get people home. >> reporter: passengers started to file into lines before the the pope had a chance to leave the parkway. lanes were set up aboveground at septa's main station to funnel people down to the platform, the second trains arrived. >> we spent a lot of time preparing for this, we got trains, sitting in the yard and ready to come in, and swoop people off the platforms. >> reporter: about 700 volunteers called septa

ambassadors guided people to fast track trains. >> we have a special schedule just built to take people home now quickly. when they get on the train here like at jefferson, it is only one or two stops to go home. they will run express almost the entire way. >> well, pope made a few surprise appearances today, one at st. joes, we will get to that in just a moment but first to a place that was a labor of love for a local homeless advocate. pope francis stopped his motorcade to visit knotted great other where he was greeted biopsies ter mary skulliof project home. nora muchanic is live in front of the grotto with that story. good evening, nora. >> reporter: hi there, jim. this was a wonderful moment when the holy father made a short detour before mass to what has become one of the most popular attractions the entire week. it was an unscheduled stop and our cameras was there as holy father in his pope mobile pulled off circle, passed the

basilica a and up to the knotted grotto where a hundred thousand strips of white paper bearing peoples troubles and worries are tied to this temporary display, an homage to the virgin mary undoer of not the notes. led by archbishop chaput, pope francis was welcomed biopsies ter mary skullion who commissioned the grotto and embraced the holy father. >> he asked us to pray for him and we asked for him to pray for us and bless the knotts. >> it was a camera person away. it was the most amazing feeling, ever. >> reporter: watching the holy father at the grotto was an exciting group of volunteers from st. joseph's university who happily showed us their cell phone pictures they took of the pope. >> today being able to see him on the pope mobile and take a selfie with him while on the pope mobile was a great experience. >> you would think it would be like a celebrity moment or something but it is so much more than that. we connect with him so much. he is jesuit.

>> i got to meet amazing women in my life. i hope to god, we're all here together the at st. joes a community and most beautiful thing ever. >> reporter: pilgrims came all over the world for this moment to share an open air mass said by the holy father, no matter that some could not see from where they were, it was an experience they will never forget. >> it felt to me like bring 122 countries together, however many it was, it felt communal. >> pope francis is for the masses. he will bring change in the catholic church. >> reporter: back live at the knotted grotto where so many people shared their troubles ape prayers leaving their own ribbons, reading others, just another success in what has been one amazing week for the faithful here in philadelphia. live from the cathedral i'm nora muchanic for channel six "action news". >> nora, thank you. now to that unscheduled stop at st. joseph's university. once word got out hundreds of

students showed up to see francis bless a new statue on campus. "action news" reporter trish hartman was there. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: crowd went wild when pope francis entered the campus of st. joseph's university making an unscheduled stop before mass on eakins oval. in front of the campus chapel the pope said hello to students and university dignitaries and then blessed this sculpture with holy water bringing more cheers from the crowd. with the hundreds of students and alumni it was an emotional experience. >> we just want to say thank you to everyone and thank you to the pope for coming to st. joes. the the hawk will never die, right, guys. >> reporter: sculpture was dedicated just last week called synagoguea in our time, an inter faith bronze statue celebrating the relationship between catholic and jewish faith. student body president natalie roche, shook the the pontiff's hand and received a gift. perhaps best gift of all the word they exchange. >> i said thank you for your

love and happiness. she said i pray for you, you pray for me. >> reporter: pope francis was the first jesuit pope and with st. joes being a jesuit university rumors were swirling he might come visit the campus. students said they were thrilled when they actually did. >> to shake the hand of someone that holy and emits that much of a positive vibe, i don't know how else to put it. phenomenal. >> best moment of my college career so far. one of the best moments of my life. >> reporter: as he walked away pontiff stopped to wave to students in the dorm windows and then the crowd on city avenue went wild, once again. as pope francis waved from his fiat on his way to celebrate mass on the ben franklin parkway n wynfield, trish hartman for channel six "action news".

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a little later we passed some dancing. and who doesn't like dancing? especially when it's followed by fireworks everyone's nola is different. follow yours. despite moments earlier in the week mother nature cooperated with the day's events on the parkway. meteorologist cecily tynan is live in our parkway studio tonight, cecily, good job.

>> hi jim, what a great weekend. the road are wet along the parkway but not from the rain but from the streets department cleaning them up. certainly a pretty comfortable night to be out working. i know a lot of people are. take a look at temperatures now. philadelphia 66 degrees down from a high of 71. little bit on the cool side, millville 64. allentown 64. wilmington and dover 65 degrees. satellite six with action radar showing we have a lot of cloud cover but we have seen some breaks in the cloud especially over south jersey a and delaware. so i have been posting some great photos of the super blood moon tonight, the partial lunar eclipse will continue until 12:27, where we're just past totality. what will happen tomorrow? high pressure that is protecting us all weekend long keeping us dry for papal weekend, that moves to the east. low pressure sneaks up from the south. what this will do is bring up cloud, spotty shower or two, not looking at any widespread heavy rain. liberty warm with a high of 83 .

on tuesday cold front sneaks out from canada and picks up tropical moisture. what this will do is bring us humid day with increasing cloud, high of 81 degrees. rain developing, late in the day tuesday, mainly tuesday night into wednesday, and we're looking at potential for a good soaking. one to 2 inches of rain in general. some areas locally could get 3 . we need it. we have not had a good soak nothing two weeks. the the exclusive accu weather seven day forecast, mostly cloudy and warm tomorrow with the spotty shower. 83 degrees. humid on tuesday. rain developing by tuesday night. 81 degrees. into the day on wednesday, wetest part of the day will be first half and then begins to dry out 71 degrees. behind that rain a real fall chill in the air on thursday. 67 degrees. friday still cool at 65 and watching the coast on saturday for potential for another soaking rain with a high of 67. mostly cloudy on sunday. 68 degrees. papal weekend, we will need

rain, could get rain tuesday night into wednesday and then gannon saturday. we need it. great weekend, jim. >> thanks, cecily. is there word that a camden county woman received a life saving even if call yesterday the same day that the pope touched down in philadelphia. someone called it coincidence, she's calling it divine intervention. "action news" health reporter and registered nurse allie gorman has the the story. >> reporter: six two-year old deborah hudson is resting comfortably today at jefferson university hospital. she is, catholic and believes it may have been divine intervention, yesterday. >> yeah, i think so. >> reporter: it just so happens that the day pope francis arrived, is the the day that she got the call that she has been waiting for, for four years, a kidney became available. the couple knew getting to the hospital from their home in south jersey would also take some sort of intervention. fortunately guy barber of jeffstat says it is a scenario that they anticipated. >> we have a number of

contingency plans we work out prior to this weekend and fortunately we were able to kick in one of those plans. >> reporter: he said new jersey state police met the the family along with the ambulance yesterday and they were given an escort over the closed ben franklin bridge. >> one had a lot of people walking and other half desserted except for us. everybody just, you know, took care of us. it was like everybody was waiting for us here. >> amazing, it really was amazing. >> reporter: deborah's new kidney is slowly kicking in, and whether the papal visit made this gift of life possible, she will never know, but the couple is grateful for everyone who helped. >> my wife and i want to thank the family of the downer and send our pray tours that family as well for their ross. >> reporter: none of this have would have been possible without the donor and his or her decision to give, the gift of life. reporting from center city,

allie gorman for channel six "action news". eagles knew they could in the go zero and three and they didn't. >> big time win on the road against a very tough new york jets football team. after that ugly, zero and two start, fans were losing faith in the eagles. next thing you know mark wahlberg is saying go eagles in front of the pope on the parkway. perhaps, divine intervention, regardless, faith, restored. eagles without demarco murray begins the jets because of the hamstring injury. no murray, no problem. 123-yard rushing. second quarter the on the punt return, darren sproles, watch him go, career long, 89-yard punt return for a touchdown. the first touchdown in the first half all year. eagles up ten-nothing. second quarter sam bradford to ryan matthews makes up for earlier dropped. eagles up 17 at the half and the defense does the rest. eagles force four turnovers, they hang on to win 24-17. it is their first of the season. they a avoid starting zero