Biden To Lead American Delegation At Departure Ceremony For Pope Francis
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Vice President Joe Biden will lead the American Delegation attending the formal Departure Ceremony for Pope Francis as he returns to Rome, the World Meeting of Families announced on Sunday.
The pope is scheduled to leave Philadelphia at 8 p.m. following the closing Mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway. The Mass is the culminating event of the pope's six-day tour of the United States, that included two days in the City of Brotherly Love. The Holy Father also made stops in Washington D.C. where he met President Barrack Obama and New York City where he addressed the United Nations.
During the first day of his visit to Philadelphia, Pope Francis celebrated a Mass for about 1,600 people at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, where he stressed the importance of a much more active role of women in the Catholic Church. He also addressed religious freedoms and immigration during a speech at Independence Mall. The pontiff was later treated to a night of entertainment at the Festival of Families on the Parkway.
On Sunday, Pope Francis met with Cardinals and Bishops at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary and promised to hold accountable those responsible for the child sex abuse scandal in the Church. From there, the pope visited inmates at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Northeast Philadelphia.
Vice President Biden will be joined by his wife, Jill, along with Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Mayor Michael Nutter, Archbishop Charles Chaput and several others to bid Pope Francis farewell and officially put a cap on the 2105 World Meeting of Families.
