Philadelphia Nun, Richard Gere All Part Of Magic Of Papal Visit
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The pope's visit to Philadelphia has brought together some unusual alliances. For example; a Catholic nun who works with the homeless and a Hollywood heartthrob who practices Buddhism.
Richard Gere's new movie Time Out of Mind is a bit of a departure for People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" laureate. It's about a homeless man wandering New York.
"I was looking for something deeper and more universal," Gere told KYW Newsradio. "I think we're all homeless in some sense. We're all looking for home."
Gere previewed the movie Thursday night for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. In the audience was Project HOME co-founder Sister Mary Scullion.
"I got to meet Richard," Scullion said, "and invited him to Philadelphia to raise the issue of homelessness here."
Scullion was also busy raising money for the Francis Fund, created in honor of the Pope Francis' visit to fund projects at other nonprofits that serve the poor. With the help of Comcast, she turned Gere's appearance into a fundraiser that brought in $100-thousand.
"(It's) is really going to help them achieve their goals," Scullion said, "which is exciting."
Though Gere is more a devotee of the Dalai Lama than the Pope, he was happy to help....
"I mean, it's important to do things that are meaningful," Gere said.
The movie is available on demand.
