Some Philadelphia Residents Griping About Inconvenience Of Pope Visit
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Pope's upcoming visit to Philadelphia is the most talked about event around town, but in some circles, griping is beginning to seep into the conversation.
KYW Newsradio posed the question to Mayor Michael Nutter, who, of course, is one of the chief boosters of the papal weekend.
"Part of the uniqueness of Philadelphia is in our venues, and the originality, if you will," Nutter said. "I mean, there's only one Independence Hall, right?"
So does the mayor think it would be the same if these big events were happening in New York and Washington?
"I think if these big public events were going on in a downtown, commercial corridor with a high density of residential, I can imagine some of those folks would have similar concerns as what some Philadelphians are expressing," Nutter said.
The mayor pointed out that Pope Francis' stop along Independence Mall, his visit to the Festival of Families along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and the concluding papal mass are massive public events.
The pontiff's Washington and New York trips also have security issues, but are in more manageable venues like the White House, Congress, the United Nation's General Assembly and a Madison Square Garden mass.
Nutter said Philadelphians, with help from the organizers, will figure it out.
"It'll be a spectacular event," said the mayor. "People will talk about the positive aspects of Pope Francis being in Philadelphia for decades to come."
Pope Francis will be in Philadelphia the weekend of September 26 and 27.
