PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the videotaped message, Pope Francis issues a personal invitation to pilgrims — “See you in Philadelphia!” — but it remains an open question whether the massive crowd organizers have predicted will turn out to see him. Despite an “I’ll be there” marketing campaign, a rollback of some travel restrictions and an increase in hotel bookings, signs remain that estimates that up to 1.5 million people would be in town for the pope’s outdoor Mass on Sunday may be too high. “I look forward to greeting the pilgrims and the people of Philadelphia when I come for the World Meeting of Families,” the pope said in English.
Expecting a million for the pope