North Philly Church Cautiously Optimistic Pope Francis Might Visit
By Mark Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Parishioners and priests of St. Peter the Apostle church in North Philadelphia - home of the shrine of St. John Neumann - believe Pope Francis might briefly stop by to honor America's first saint when he visits Philadelphia in September.
Father Alfred Bradley -- a Redemptorist priest, the church pastor and director of the St. John Neumann shrine -- says the recent visit by a papal delegation led by Vatican Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia to the shrine - the second within months - is stirring confidence:
"The fact that he stopped and prayed at the place where St. John Paul II stopped and prayed, we can hope that it's a sign of things to come."
Bradley says the pope's schedule still has not been finalized. Bradley has communicated with the Vatican the shrine's desire to again host a pope as it did Pope John Paul II in 1979:
"St. Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of our community, used to end his prayers by saying: 'So I hope, so may it be.' So, after Archbishop Paglia's visit I can only say so I hope so may it be. Maybe the Holy Father will come and visit us."
Bradley says it makes sense for Pope Francis to visit and pay his respects to a bishop who did so much for the immigrant community in Philadelphia in the mid-1860s:
"St. John Neumann was dedicated to the immigrant families and he made sure that the faith was handed on through the parochial school system and he established that school system specifically for the families of immigrants."
Today, Bradley says the parish is made up primarily of Latin American immigrants who feel a special bond with the pope who comes from Argentina and speaks their native language.