From Airport Right To Cathedral, Pope Begins Visit With Mass
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Pope's first official act in the city of Philadelphia will be to say Mass at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
The Cathedral's history speaks to much of the Pope's message in the U.S. It was built with no ground floor windows for fear of vandalism driven by hostility toward immigrants, which most Catholics were in the 1840's, when construction began.
It took 20 years to build because of a lack of funds, though the official history notes there were many rich Catholics who did not contribute.
"Pope Francis will feel right at home in our Cathedral," says Monsignor Stephen McHenry of Ambler. He is one of hundreds of Archdiocese priests concelebrating the mass.
Basilica pastor Dennis Gill says, unlike other World Meeting of Families events, the Basilica mass is intended to focus on the Philadelphia area:
"Invited to this celebration will be our priests, deacons, religious men and women-- those in the consecrated life-- and representatives of every parish in the Archdiocese."
Mass will be said in Latin, English and Spanish. The Pope will give the Homily in Spanish.
This will be much more intimate than the Sunday mass on the Parkway.