Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter emerged from U.S. Customs at the Philadelphia International Airport with a smile on his face Thursday afternoon. Nutter and a delegation from Pennsylvania just arrived from Rome after a meeting with Pope Francis.
"I think it was very clear and Governor Corbett would tell you the same, we are certainly very optimistic. The way the holy father received us, they are excited about Philadelphia," said Nutter. "We can't make any predictions but we are very optimistic and we are going to proceed accordingly."
The group traveled to the Vatican to personally invite the pope to come to Philadelphia for the 2015 World Meeting of Families, which is scheduled for Sept. 22 to 27.
In addition to attending the Papal Audience on Wednesday, the delegation got a tour of the Vatican and posed for photos in the Sistine Chapel. The delegates brought gifts to Rome, which included a St. Joe's Prep jersey that Nutter gave to Pope Francis and a Nicole Miller tie given to Archbishop Paglia. Relive their trip via the social media posts below.
Photo Credit: NBC10.com - Jim Rosenfield
