Nutter, Corbett, Chaput To Meet With Business Leaders About World Meeting Of Families
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Mayor Nutter says movers and shakers from across the Philadelphia region are gathering this morning to hear about the trip that he, the Governor and Archbishop Chaput made last month to Rome. Today's session, he says, is also to jumpstart fundraising for next year's World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.
Mayor Nutter says he, Governor Corbett and the Archbishop will talk about their Rome trip at a private meeting at the Union League.
"A whole host of different business leaders across the city and region have been invited: it's a lot of private sector folks, probably people from the philanthropic community, and again civic and religious leaders as well."
And beyond a recap of Rome, Nutter expects today's session to put new impetus to both the planning and the fundraising for the World Meeting of Families.
"I think, on the ground, this really now starts the more formal (planning) process. This has a bit of a coming-out aspect here, putting all these leaders together in one place and saying, 'This is happening.' I would expect the Archbishop will in fact ask these leaders to get involved from a financial and logistical standpoint. And Governor Corbett and I will have our roles to play in that regard."
Nutter does not expect to get a firm answer on whether the pope will attend until about 4-6 months before the event, which begins on September 22, 2015.
Nutter says there is still no definitive fundraising goal for the World Meeting of Families, though he said better estimates may come at today's session.
Though, he said, one thing is certain: "This is a fairly expensive event to put on."