10K volunteers offer help with pope’s visit to Philadelphia

When Pope Francis visits Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families, he will have the assistance of 10,000 volunteers at hand. The volunteers will perform a variety of roles, such as providing translation services, greeting and directing pilgrims, and managing social media. The volunteers are all required to pass a criminal and employment background check. Nearly 8,000 had already passed these checks six weeks before the pope’s visit. There are volunteers from every state. There are expected to be up to 1.5 million people coming to see the Pope. Pope Francis’s trip will begin with his arrival in Washington, D.C. on September 22, where he will meet with President Obama and Congress before going to New York and then Philadelphia. This is his first visit to the U.S.