Philadelphians who were excited to welcome Pope Francis in his visit to the birthplace of U.S. were not disappointed as the Pope gave words of wisdom to Americans and immigrants.
According to Reuters, before giving his speech, the Pope toured the state's historic Independence Hall, where America's freedom from Britain was declared. Standing in a wooden lectern, which was also used by Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address in 1863, the Pope addressed the crowd of about 40,000, saying that "history also shows that these or any truths must constantly be reaffirmed, re-appropriated and defended," per The Washington Post.
"In a world where various forms of modern tyranny seek to suppress religious freedom, or try to reduce it to a subculture without right to a voice in the public square, or to use religion as a pretext for hatred and brutality, it is imperative that the followers of the various religions join their voices in calling for peace, tolerance and respect for the dignity and rights of others,” Francis said in his speech.
The head of the Catholic Church, who was a son of Italian immigrants in Argentina, also gave encouraging words to Hispanic and other immigrants living in the country. “Never be ashamed of your traditions. Do not forget the lessons you learned from your elders, which are something you can bring to enrich the life of this American land.”
"You should never be ashamed of your traditions. I repeat, do not be ashamed of what is part of you," he added, as per Reuters.
Francis also stressed "the gradual effort to eliminate every kind of racism and prejudice directed at successive waves of new Americans," even reminding the crowd about the end of slavery in the 1860s.
He said, "Remembrance saves a people's soul from whatever or whoever would attempt to dominate it or use it for their interests."
Cardinal Timothy Dolan told Yahoo! News that during Pope Francis' flight, he asked if the helicopter can "circle the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island." Dolan accompanied the pope during his flight from Manhattan.
"As we circled Ellis Island, as we circled the Statue of Liberty, I could see he was very 'commosso' — as they say in Italian," said Dolan. "Commosso" is the Italian word for "moved."
Yahoo! News notes that the pope has always given importance to migration rites. Because of the recent immigrant crisis and his own story as a son of immigrants, Pope Francis hopes to "seek a better life for themselves."
Here are some photos of Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia:
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