1979 Phila. visit brought pope to Penn

The late Pope John Paul II -- spiritual leader to more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide -- once came within a block of campus on Oct. 4, 1979.

At the now nearly demolished Convention Hall -- then known as the Civic Center -- approximately 24,000 people showed up for the 2 1/2 hour Mass.

At the 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard location, the pontiff spoke against the ordination of women as priests, noting that an all-male priesthood is the way "God has chosen to shepherd his flock."

He also reiterated Catholic doctrine forbidding priests from marrying, saying the celibate ministry of the priesthood is eternal.

As he left the building, he headed toward a group of patients -- many of whom were in wheelchairs -- from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where he proceeded to hug and kiss them, drawing applause and tears from the crowd.

The Pope began the day with a visit to St. Peter the Apostle Church in North Philadelphia, which houses the shrine of the nation's first Catholic male saint, John Neumann.

There, he spoke to some 1,000 people in the church's chapel basement, where Neumann's remains can be found in a glass casket beneath the alter.

Later, he rode three blocks in an open motorcade to the Ukrainian Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the nation's spiritual headquarters for Ukranian Catholics -- an independent branch of the Roman Catholic Church known as the Eastern Rite churches.

"We're so used to this image of the traveling pope," said 2004 College graduate and self-described Vaticanologist Rock Palmo, noting that it was uncommon for previous popes to travel extensively.

Palmo added that Pope John Paul II had shocked his secret service agents by crossing the street to hug and kiss the children.

"He felt the most powerful connection with young people," Palmo said.

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