Penn prepares for papal visit in Sept.

On Tuesday, the Vatican confirmed the Pope’s official itinerary for his history-making visit to the United States in the fall.

Pope Francis, who was elected to the papacy in March 2013, will visit Philadelphia on Sept. 26 and 27. The trip will mark his first visit to the United States since he was chosen.

While in the city, the Pope will visit the Festival of Families at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and hold Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. In keeping with his consistent outreach to the underprivileged and incarcerated, the Pope will also visit the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Northeast Philadelphia.

The Pope’s Philadelphia stop will mark the third and final leg of his five-day trip. The trip is expected to draw record numbers of visitors to the city, with some projections estimating as many as two million people.

In an email sent to Penn faculty and staff on Monday from University Provost Vincent Price and Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli, they said “the visit will entail high levels of security and extensive coordination among public officials, businesses, and local institutions.”

While the email also said that the University expects to be open as normal during the visit, “the health system will avoid scheduling elective procedures at any of its downtown facilities between Friday, Sept. 25 and Monday, Sept. 28 and will encourage elective patients, along with those receiving chemotherapy and/or radiation, to be accommodated either before or after the papal visit.”

University employees who want to attend the World Meeting of Families were encouraged to request time off through the University’s “regular PTO system.”

Vice President of University Communications Stephen MacCarthy said that he expects the University and the Division of Public Safety, along with all other security forces in the city, to contribute in some way to the preparations for the Pope’s visit.

The Division of Public Safety was not immediately available for comment.

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