Pilgrims throng Philadelphia to see Pope Francis

Hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholics are making the pilgrimage to Philadelphia to see Pope Francis on the last leg of his first-ever visit to the United States, where they hoped to catch a glimpse of the popular pontiff at some point during his packed schedule — or even receive a blessing or healing touch. Some of their stories:

 

EX-REFUGEE: FRANCIS HELPING CHURCH ‘RISE FROM THE DEAD’

 

Juwli Roberts-Karluah ran past dead bodies and burned babies while fleeing with her child from war-torn Liberia in 1997. Now a nursing assistant outside Philadelphia, Roberts-Karluah was in the city Saturday for Pope Francis’s visit.

 

Francis has urged a more welcoming attitude toward migrants everywhere in the world amid the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

 

Roberts-Karluah knows that refugees now arriving in Europe have a difficult road ahead, but she believes they can make it through faith and hope. “You can’t give up. I have experienced it,” the mother of two said.

 

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