After death of Pope Francis, Philadelphia remembers historic papal visit of 2015
The Vatican announced early Monday that Pope Francis died at the age of 88, one day after celebrating Easter.
As communities across the Delaware Valley mourn the pontiff's death, many are also remembering the visit Pope Francis made to Philadelphia in 2015. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see His Holiness came on a whirlwind September weekend, complete with all the pomp and circumstance fit for the leader of the Catholic Church.
On Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, Pope Francis emerged from his plane Shepherd One to a rock star welcome.
Thousands of people lined the streets of Philadelphia, hoping to get a glimpse of the Holy Father.
At one point, the pope stopped his motorcade and stepped out of a modest Fiat to bless a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy.
"The fact that the pope kissed him on the head and blessed him is something that I would have never imagined possible for any of my children," the child's mother said. "So I feel very fortunate and blessed that that happened."
From the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, a smiling Pope Francis waved to a roaring crowd in Center City.
In his homily, Pope Francis praised the committed Catholics of Philadelphia and challenged them to harness the energy of the young, the laity and women in service to God.
"Every Christian man and woman, by virtue of baptism, has received a mission," he said.
After Mass, Pope Francis passed through the side chapel, where he blessed sick and disabled children whose families were hungry for hope.
During an international celebration at Independence Hall that afternoon, Pope Francis arrived in his popular "Popemobile," where he blessed and kissed babies and greeted immigrant families with the cross.
As a son of immigrants himself, the Holy Father had a message for the thousands of immigrants invited to hear him speak.
"You bring many gifts to this nation," he told them. "Please, don't ever be ashamed of your traditions."
More pope-watchers lined City Avenue, where they had the chance to see the Pope's motorcade whiz by with a wave.
That night, the star-studded World Meeting of Families' Festival of Families was kicked off with a spectacular nighttime parade down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
During his speech, Pope Francis tossed aside scripted remarks for a playful and spirited speech praising the family as the home of Jesus.
"And where did he send His son? To a palace? To a city?" Pope Francis asked. "No! He sent Him to a family. ... God sent Him amid a family, in a family."
On Sunday, the final day of the pope's visit, the Ben Franklin Parkway was teeming with early arrivals for afternoon Mass, while the pontiff met behind closed doors with victims of sexual abuse.
At St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Pope Francis condemned church leaders who failed to report the crimes. "God weeps," he said.
The pope was known for reaching out to society's forgotten. He visited prisoners at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, where he built the American walnut chair he sat in during his visit.
"I prayed that I would shake the pope's hand and hug him," Rafael Ramos said. "And God answered my prayers."
Pope Francis also surprised students at the Catholic institution Saint Joseph's University. While on his way to mass, he stepped out of the Popemobile to see more than 30,000 strips of fabric at the "Knotted Grotto" created by Project Home.
The pope capped off his visit to the City of Brotherly Love by shepherding his flock along the Parkway to City Hall, where hundreds of thousands celebrated Mass together.
"May God grant all of us to be prophets of the joy of the gospel," he said on the doorstep of a city steeped in immense history.
CBS News Philadelphia producer Damian Tracy contributed to this story.
