WMOF Philadelphia Releases Personal Invitation From Pope Francis
By Tim Jimenez
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In a video released Sunday morning, Pope Francis speaks directly to those coming to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families.
Event organizers are calling this a personal invitation with the words coming directly from Pope Francis.
"I look forward to greeting the pilgrims and the people of Philadelphia when I come for the World Meeting of Families," Pope Francis said. "I will be there because you will be there. See you in Philadelphia."
The Pope's message is part of a 30 second video clip. Pope Francis refers to the "I'll be there" slogan which the World Meeting of Families has been using to promote the event and build excitement for the papal visit.
It's also an all-English greeting, which relatively rare. The pope has spoken in the past about his struggle with the language. But he has reportedly been working on his English leading up to his visit to the United States.
In a statement, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput described the Pope's message as "beautiful and humbling" and called the papal visit a once in a lifetime type experience.