Philadelphia's Archbishop Gives Heavenly Assessment Of Papal Visit
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The leader of the Philadelphia Archdiocese is not criticizing the unprecedented security effort that surrounded the papal visit.
Archbishop Charles Chaput acknowledged that the massive security for Pope Francis's visit is the new reality in the United States after 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing.
Chaput says the closed streets, magnetometers and bag searches weren't in place in Cuba when the pope visited.
"If we had it our way, we would have probably had it a lot simpler. But we don't have the personal direct responsibility to keep the crowd safe and the Holy Father safe. So I am very slow to criticize."
Chaput says 20,000 people registered for the World Meeting of Families . He didn't have any official estimate of the crowds on the Parkway,"I've heard almost a million people, more than a million people. One thing I do know is that some of my frinds who tried to come were still waiting to get in when it was almost over."
Chaput said the World Meeting of Families would not have been worth it, if people do not respond with a deeper commitment to the family --a unit he reiterated the Church believes includes the marriage of a man and a woman.
The Archbishop said the Pope's meeting with victims of sexual abuse by priests was not simply to attract publicity. Chaput also defended the presence of Cardinal Justin Rigali at Philadelphia's papal Mass, saying Rigali didn't do anything to cause sexual abuse.
Chaput says the Holy Father did NOT indulge himself with a cheesesteak while he was here -- Chaput says the pope didn't even have seconds at dinner. But he says some Philadelphia treats were left in the Pope's room.
