PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Whispers in the Loggia
Fresh off the wire from Milan (via 222), Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap. released the following statement on Pope Benedict’s selection of Philadelphia this morning to host the Eighth World Meeting of Families in 2015:
“I am so grateful to the Holy Father that he has chosen Philadelphia and excited that we will host the 2015 World Meeting of Families. It’s fitting that this gathering, which celebrates the cornerstone of society, will take place in America’s cradle of freedom. The Holy Father’s choice is a gift to the local Church in Philadelphia and to the whole nation.
“The family is founded on a deep and loving union between one man and one woman for mutual support and the nurturing of children. This meeting in Philadelphia will be a wonderful opportunity to highlight the family as the basic evangelizing unit of the Church. Every effort to promote marriage and the family serves not only the Church, but also the common good.”
In comments to Catholic News Service, Chaput said that, given the difficult financial situation of the Philadelphia church, he made clear to Vatican officials that the city could only host the event if it were considerably smaller — “60,000 to 80,000” people — than earlier editions of the WMF. (The crowd at today’s closing Mass in Milan, for example, reportedly topped out at a million.)
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