Looking back at the impact of Pope Francis’s trip to Pennsylvania

Pope Francis’s only visit to the United States started in the nation’s capital in 2015.

Then Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto was among the 11,000 invited guests who greeted the Holy Father as he arrived at the White House.

“I was in an area to the left of the color honor guard for the Air Force and the Coast Guard, and there was parting of the sea. So, I could look right through the podium and get really nice pictures.”

The pope later greeted crowds in the streets of Washington, including some from the Pittsburgh area.

“[I was] hoping to catch a glimpse -- once in a lifetime opportunity,” Anne Kristobak said.

“Always good to be here with believers who believe in god, believe in love and believe in prayer,” Pittsburgh native Rawad Obeid said.

While in Washington, the pope held a canonization ceremony and praised President Obama’s push to stop global warming.

From there, his visit to Philadelphia also had ties to Pittsburgh. Former Gov. Tom Corbett helped bring Pope Francis to Pennsylvania, and was chosen to greet the pontiff when he arrived.

“Traveling with the archbishop and mayor in 2014 and officially asking him in front of 100,000 people in St Peter’s square - then to meet him again today and greet him again at the door and welcome him to Pennsylvania," Corbett said.

We met with then Greensburg Bishop Donald Malesic, who the pope ordained just a few months earlier. He knew he had to lead a pilgrimage to see the pope, navigating through some 2 million people who converged on Philadelphia.

“These are people who we look up to, who we admire, who are there in their position for a reason,” Malesic said. “We believe God has placed them there and when we meet these special people, there is no doubt we come into the presence of something tremendous.”

Students from Oakland Catholic made that trip to Philadelphia.

“When we found out [about] a trip to see the pope, this is a chance to really touch base with god,” sophomore Siena DeAngelo said.

Channel 11 tagged along with students fom St. Vincent College on their journey just to lay eyes on Pope Francis.

“Ah, it’s just amazing, this many people are this excited to see the pope,” Jenna Gosich said.

Not only the faithful, but EMTs from Elizabeth Township, Fayette County, Mon Valley and Monessen were among local emergency crews helping keep the masses safe in Philadelphia.

The pope’s messages in Philadelphia had a lasting impact. He met privately with victims of sexual abuse and gave a statement that proved to be a foreshadowing of things to come. He said God weeps "for the sexual abuse of children- these cannot be maintained in secret."

In 2018, the Pennsylvania grand jury report rocked the catholic church, with cases of sex abuse of children, many of which were covered up.

Not long after that report, the pope issued a public letter, saying:

“We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them,” and promising change.

One big change – Cardinal Donald Wuerl, named in the grand jury report many times for his time as bishop of Pittsburgh, would resign.

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