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CNN NEWSROOM

The Pope in Philadelphia; Pope On His Way to Festival of Families. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired September 26, 2015 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(SINGING)

[19:02:04] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Sister Sledge has the crowd on its feet.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: I just have to point out, the amazing dancing nuns.

CUOMO: Moved by the spirit, as it were. Spirit Sledge started to play.

The pope heard the music, popped into the Fiat. The motorcade is now on its way here to the amphitheater.

They're going to keep playing until the pope gets here. They will continue the festivities.

Let's listen in as we get a picture of the motorcade coming in the pope's arrival. You think this crowd is live here. Wait until Francis gets here.

There they are.

(SINGING)

HARLOW: Well, you can't get any better than that to welcome the pontiff formally to Philadelphia tonight after a historic remarkable day. Sister Sledge opening up for the pope.

His motorcade on the way here. I don't know if we can re-rack the images of the dancing nuns, but that is something I will never forget.

[19:05:02] Take a look at the other side of your screen.

CUOMO: There's the motorcade. The pope is coming. They are playing "We Are Family." Couldn't pick a better song for an introduction of this pope.

This is the message Pope Francis has been having. It has been resonating through the streets of Philadelphia. They say it could be as many as million people have been waiting hours to see him.

This, of course, the culmination of the World Meeting of Family. This is the Festival of Families that Francis is coming to throughout the week. They have been hitting on themes how to preserve the family and make it stronger, central to Pope Francis' intention to America.

Let's get out to the crowd with Carol Costello.

This is the moment they have been waiting for. I saw you moving, Carol. I dig it.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, my goodness. Everybody was dancing a short time ago to sister sledge. You can see the police lights flashing. Everybody is waiting for the moment. Some people have been here since 6:30 this morning. Some of them slept most of the afternoon on blankets because of course you're not allowed to bring in too much like backpacks and things.

And I'm telling you, I just can't -- I can't describe the feeling here. It is electric. You see people with their arms up, Chris and poppy. They're ready to take that snapshot of the pope. They are ready to snap a picture of the pope as he goes by.

We did hear the pope will go around the Ben Franklin Parkway twice. That's the rumor. That's what everybody is hoping for. Because remember in Washington he had the very short parade. He went down 17th, Constitution, and then 15th. It only lasted 15 minutes. People waited for hours and hours just to get an eight-second glimpse of the pope.

Well, this time I think it will be much more than a glimpse. Not much more. But if he goes around twice, it will be so awesome.

Come, on motorcade. Everybody is waiting.

HARLOW: Carol, two things. A, I did not know you had those moves, Sister Carol.

And to my second point, that follows a really historic speech that he gave at Independence Hall, reaction from the crowd. Let's listen to this motorcade coming out at Ben Franklin Parkway.

COSTELLO: Oh, my goodness. It's a teaser.

CUOMO: You can not only hear the motorcycles, you can feel them here. They are cueing up for a grand entrance.

And, Carol, you're right. They are going to do a little bit of a tour through here. That is what has made this such a twisted type of pattern of traffic around here. Is that they have created a pathway for the pope around this stage where we are here at the festival of families, so as many people as possible can see him. They are just basically cueing up, getting into order.

As they wind around, it creates a different security situation. They need the vehicles close to him at all different stages of him.

HARLOW: Carol, you have been talking to the people all day long. You have seen the babies. You have talked to parents hoping this pope will kiss their child, bless their child. What has someone said that struck you most in the crowd?

COSTELLO: Boy, I have heard so many wonderful things out here today, Poppy. I have been out here six hours now.

I would say the most moving thing is that many people here believe just a glimpse of the pope will absolutely change their lives. It will be a defining moment for them. It will cause them to look into their souls and decide what responsibility they have in the world, how can they be a better person. How can they help the world? You know, that's Catholicism.

Uh-oh. I hear the cheers coming on. So you see the motorcycles are about to take off. That means we hope that the pope is coming.

CUOMO: It is important to note that our -- Carol, let us know as he comes by. There he is. Papa Francisco. The crowd goes crazy. The crew has all abandoned their positions.

HARLOW: We did leave to go see the pope. We are not making that up.

CUOMO: So if the shot goes down, it's not our fault. But there is Francis. He's coming there now. The people are lining the streets there. The motorcade is all cued up.

We will see how long a trip he takes. And the closer he gets the louder it gets. Let's listen in.

There he is.

COSTELLO: Oh, my goodness.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

COSTELLO: The man in front of me says the pope is right behind this truck. .

Whoo!

[19:10:29} UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is unbelievable. This is unbelievable. Thank God for this opportunity.

COSTELLO: Do you have Goosebumps?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until now I still have.

COSTELLO: Oh, my gosh.

It is just fantastic. Talk to me about what you just felt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is incredible. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack just out of emotion I felt as I see His Holiness, the pope. I thank God for this great opportunity that I had today.

COSTELLO: You see you are wearing a crucifix?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm Catholic since birth. I thank my parents for the great opportunity they gave while introducing me into the Catholic religion.

COSTELLO: OK, I hear he's making another round.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope so. I would like to see him again.

COSTELLO: You weren't busy taking a picture were you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I took a picture. I took a selfie. The pope was behind me, so that was amazing.

And I just to say, I'm from Honduras. My parents are here from Honduras. It's quite an experience for all of us, because this is the World Meeting of Families. And thank God we have the opportunity of having my parents here and be together as a family again.

COSTELLO: That's a wonderful word.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about tomorrow?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was here yesterday. Today I'm here. And I'm here tomorrow.

COSTELLO: Oh my goodness. So, how did you feel as the pope went by?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like God has touched me. I really feel like that. It was the best feeling in the whole world. I am so excited and so grateful and blessed by God.

COSTELLO: So you're wondering, Poppy, what the best thing I heard tonight? Well, it was right there. That's just amazing.

Let me talk to you. How did you feel as the pope went by?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a blessing and a gift to see the pope. It is a once in a lifetime experience. We came from Minnesota.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Where did you come from?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Philadelphia.

COSTELLO: You didn't come far. But yet you all felt the same. It is indescribable.

I mean, really, poppy and Christmas, he was, what, a foot away maybe if that? As he passed by in the pope mobile. Yes. That's it. It was amazing. You could have almost reached out and touched him.

HARLOW: And, Carol, to you, you personally, you have been writing about this in your op-eds and reporting on this. For you personally what this pope has done.

COSTELLO: How can I describe it? You know, I grew up Catholic as well. Then I became a lapsed Catholic. And, you know, the church sex abuse scandal happened. That also

turned me off on the church. But when Pope Francis came on the scene, it made me pay attention again.

And I don't consider myself a lapse Catholic anymore. I go to church on Sundays again. So, I owe this pope a lot spiritually and I guess I love him for that. So, this all means so much to me.

HARLOW: And I think that's emblematic, Delia, to you, and you father as well, Chris, Rosa Flores in the field. What Carol said is so emblematic of what I believe this pope has meant to so many. Would you agree?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. What he has done is re-proposed the whole story. The church talks about the new evangelization. Pope John Paul II began that wonderful in 1976, Benedict deepened it. Francis is the new evangelization. He's showing us how to do it with very simple words, and gestures, and a smile.

You know, I have to say that there is one person to the left, the archbishop of Philadelphia, Archbishop Chaput, today is his birthday. He threw a little party for a million people and brought the pope over. What is he going to do next year?

CUOMO: What a gift, I'll tell you, a priest came up to me yesterday morning. I was actually able to home because we were in New York City. And I was coming down. A priest stopped me on the street and pumped his fists and said, "We're back, baby."

And you have to remember there has been a dark period for the American Catholic Church because of the scandal and frankly how it was handled.

HARLOW: Well, and I think for some, it's not over.

CUOMO: Well, it's certainly not over, for the victims, it will never be over, and there are a lot cases still out there and there's work to be done. You know who said that? Jorge Bergoglio said that when he was down in Buenos Aires. He said it as soon as he became pope. He's been unflinching about it.

There was a little controversy when he spoke to the bishops. Father Kesicki, you'll bring in you about this -- how did you reconcile the need for accountability about what happened in hiding priests and not being open by the offenses with what the pope said about rewarding the bishops for their courage.

[19:15:08] What did you make of that?

KESICKI: Well, I think he wants to acknowledge that the church has come a long, long way from where we were in 2002. Obviously, the church is not perfect. And it has more work to do.

I think we always have to begin with the fundamental disposition has to be we're sorry. We failed.

And the pope is not afraid of apologizing. And he really wants to see all children and vulnerable adults protected. He wants people to know the church is a safe place. So, he has to give the bishops both encouragement and also the direction to be transparent, to be honest, to cooperate with law enforcement. And really to have faith that those who assist the church in doing justice and acting wisely will be the best step forward.

HARLOW: Delia Gallagher, to you on that point of the messages that will be left by this pope, we are also expecting potentially some point here a meeting in Philadelphia potentially.

GALLAGHER: The Vatican has said that was a possibility. It was not on the official agenda. I would be surprised if it doesn't happen because we have seen this pope reach out so many times to so many different groups. It would be an oversight if it didn't happen.

You know, he was criticized in the beginning for not doing more immediately when he was elected. Perhaps it was a bit too soon to criticize him at that stage. Subsequently he saw that he installed a commission for the protection of minors headed by Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the Boston cardinal, who has good and long experience and good record on that. And put abuse survivors on that, including a woman, Marie Collins from Ireland.

And that commission is responsible for giving him advice on what to do. Part of what was advised was the bishop accountability. And the pope took it to heart and established a special tribunal to look at the question of the bishops accountability and to hold them accountable. So, we will see. Sometimes it takes a long time for these things.

CUOMO: The proof is what happens and the practicality of what goes forward. And Father Kesicki, that brings us how to what Pope Francis is saying here in America will be translated to the bishops in terms of actions going forward with respect to any kind of abuse or kind of criminal infraction that happens in the church.

On the positive side, how you put into practice this new order which is focus on mercy and love, stop excluding people. Do everything you can to include. How do you think this gets communicated and pushed through to the bishops?

KESICKI: There are those who would say the pope has come down hard on bishops and priests.

CUOMO: Go ahead and answer.

KESICKI: Sorry. There are those who would say the pope has come down hard on bishops and priests in the past two years, calling us to account. The other day when the bishops came out with the pope at St. Matthews Cathedral, I listened to many of them and they said, he really encouraged us, he recognized our work, but he has asked us to become even more.

The method of Bergoglio, the method of Francis, is what is so impressive. Whether weather with priests or the government or U.N. officials, he recognizes the good. He knows the history. But he said there's something else to do.

In the case of the American bishops the other day, he was very clear in saying I have two things to request at you at the end of that marvelous address. The first thing is be a father to the priests in your diocese. Express and live out that Episcopal fatherhood.

And he said, I don't want you to turn out notaries and bureaucrats when you're forming priests. He said harshness of language serves no purpose whatsoever. Mercy and kindness will win.

The second thing, he referred to the immigration crisis. He said you as an American church were wonderful in opening your doors to people. We're going to have to do that again now. The new people will be different. They will challenge us. But this is the challenge given to us.

HARLOW: On that point, a challenge close to all of us catholic or not on this pontiff's visit to the United States.

Delia Gallagher, Father Rosica, we also have Chris Cuomo, Father Kesicki, our friends in Washington, stay with us. As we watch the pope here as he comes to the festival of families.

Quick break. We'll back live in Philadelphia, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:22:23] HARLOW: Welcome back to our continuing live coverage on a very exciting night here in Philadelphia. You see Pope Francis there making his way down Benjamin Franklin Boulevard to absolute masses of people, teaming up against the guardrails there hoping for just a glimpse of the pontiff. What a sight.

CUOMO: And you know what, he's not just a celebrity. It's not a politician. This is somebody who is at the center of what matters most to people's lives. If you are a member of the faithful, the pope for the Catholics, he is the point of aspiration within this church.

So, this has been something that's worth waiting for. Just his passing by is something special to be in the shadow of Peter. Peter, of course, is the first pope.

You hear the crowds. Let's get down with them.

Rosa Flores, is he coming your way or has he gone past you?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Chris, he is actually approaching us he can see his motorcade. I think he would approve of what I'm seeing in the crowd. It is really starting to look like a Pope Francis rave, Poppy, because everyone is raising their cell phones because it's a little dark. They look like glow sticks as people start waiting for Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, first Jesuit pope.

I have been talking to the people in this crowd. There is so much energy, so much excitement. People are almost shaking because they are hoping to see the pope, to get a blessing of the pope.

Now, this is the World Meeting of Families. That's why we are seeing these enormous crowds. These might be the biggest crowds we will see in the United States. Chris, as you know, you and I were in Cuba is and we saw large crowds because the pope held mass outside. So this is what we're going to see here in Philadelphia.

We're expecting the biggest numbers. Unofficially, one of the police officers I was talk to go out here was telling me, you know, we were thinking maybe 250,000, 300,000 so far. When they get the helicopters are up in the air, they will calculate how many people are out here.

But from the vantage point I have, there are thousands of people just waiting. I met a couple earlier that has their baby ready. They're hoping that one of the police officers grabs their baby Warren, little Warren so that the pope can kiss little Warren.

We have seen Pope Francis do that multiple, multiple times. They are expecting, hoping that that happens in this particular case.

[19:25:04] Again, we are starting to see lights again. I can see flashing lights, part of Pope Francis's motorcade as it approaches here at Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The people here are energy electric as Pope Francis approaches and as they hope to get a blessing. Like Chris was saying, as Pope Francis drives by you or walks by you, you are in the shadow of Peter. And that means if you are getting a blessing from the pope.

And again, we are seeing the motorcade in Philadelphia. This is a big event. It is for the World Meeting of Families. There are more than 17,000 families registered for this year, making it the biggest year since 1994 when Pope John Paul II established this World Meeting of Families, which is the biggest gathering of Catholic families in the world. Every three years, it becomes a big event.

And here we are in 2015 in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families with Pope Francis approaching, his motorcade approaching. And everyone holding their cell phones up. Again, it's a Pope Francis rave, if you will. They look like glow sticks with all these cell phones. And here we go.

I can see Pope Francis waving to the crowd. He's driving very slowly, waving. We haven't seen him make any stops yet. But, again, the crowd electric, absorb this moment --

CUOMO: There he is.

FLORES: This is history in the making a as Pope Francis waves to the crowd and blesses everyone who is in his path as the shadow of Peter passes by our cameras.

HARLOW: Rosa, Chris and I just saw him pass by our vantage point. It is the first time I have been able to see him albeit from a distance in person. And you heard the crowds erupt behind us. Many of the people have been waiting along the parkway for this

glimpse. Now they will all pore in behind us the rest of this evening's performance here at the Festival of Families.

Father Beck, back to you. This is a pope with a 74 percent approval rating before he -- among Catholics before he came to this country. Now what?

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGION COMMENTATOR: Well, I can't imagine what it is now. You know, I'm around church stuff a lot. When the father was in this chair I got to go on the balcony. And he passed right by our CNN platform back there.

And I can't tell you what I felt inside. And I didn't expect it. And I've been hearing when you're that close to him, you feel something. And I really did.

I mean, I guess when you're in the presence of holiness and goodness, and you know this is a man who hasn't desired the attention or the accolade, you're always around people who want the spotlight on him. Right now, he has a big spotlight on him, but he never desired it. He actually shunned it. Yet here he is.

A million people will gather just because he's here. And as a priest, you know, we have gone through tough times in our church recently. It is sometimes hard to realize that here we are now and a page is turned. And it feels really good.

CUOMO: That's for the faithful. You go from the perspective of someone like Father Beck, all the way to the opposite end of the spectrum with somebody like me, about as far from a priest as you can get. And even if you don't believe in the message and the faith, the surprise of Francis's trip has been those who are not faithful that it is resonating with, simply because it's a positive message of inclusion and connectedness at a time when people are exhausted by our division politically and otherwise.

The band we're getting more music. That's not a band. That is an orchestra. Pope Francis is in the house. He's going to be coming here soon.

The night continues and so shall we we'll take a quick break. Come back with us to Philadelphia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:00] CUOMO: Welcome back to Philadelphia. We are being treated to the Philadelphia Orchestra. Pope Francis is making the rounds here in the Pope mobile. The crowd has been going crazy with his entrance here to the Festival of Families. What a night we have ahead of on us. Listen to some of the people who will be here. Mark Wahlberg. (INAUDIBLE) Aretha Franklin. (INAUDIBLE) Andrea Bocelli and that's not even...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And fireworks. Literally, fireworks. UNIDENTIFED MALE: In the midst of all of that, Pope Francis will be

here as well giving another message that is so hungrily received by the faithful and unfaithful alike for his goodness at a time we are desperate to hear more of that.

HARLOW: Absolutely. To you Bruce (INAUDIBLE), somebody who follows religion so closely. So many religions as well. If you talk about a Pope of inclusion, would this be that Pope?

BRUCE: I think so. And I think it's quite rare. First of all, know it as you know, Poppy and Chris, this is the second time a Pope has come to Philadelphia. Pope John Paul II came in 1979. He was at the other end of the parkway and down by the cathedral where Francis was today. They have moved for Francis up here.

Of course, behind him are the steps that Rocky ran up. I have to say when he was coming down the parkway it was Rocky that went through my mind. He has conquered and taken this town. But to your question, Poppy, I think that one of the things that is quite powerful, we have seen day in, every day that he has been here, he has shared the spotlight. This is not just a Catholic moment.

We have that incredible moving service that Chris and I witnessed live on the air yesterday while he again, shared the stage with half a dozen, maybe (INAUDIBLE). There were people in there. The archbishop mentioned it at mass this morning. So this is a moment where he is sharing with others and to go back to Chris' question earlier, Pope in three words. My three words would be not me, you.

HARLOW: That is - absolutely.

CUOMO: For the benefit of time for Bruce. For the benefit of time, he's been sitting there. Keep them coming. Hashtag Popein3words. What are the three words that you think captured the Pope first. Great entrees so far.

HARLOW: To that point, Chris, you covered the concave. Do you recall when Benedict was named - I know you're not supposed to say elected. But when he became Pope, many, many were looking towards Bergoglio.

CUOMO: That's right. There was a diary that came out. It's no longer speculation. Going down to Buenos Aires and talking to his friend, Bergoglio has passed on the message as well what happened in that concave. He didn't want it.

[19:35:08]

HARLOW: Again, not me, you. He pointed.

CUOMO: Not me, you, yes, yes. I think it was more than that. I think this is a man of incredible humility. His entire life. He's a kid. Very small handwriting. The people say Jorge Mario, your writing is too small. It's got to be bigger. I can't read it. He says who am I to have big handwriting. This is who the man is. He didn't want it. He wanted to minister. He wanted to be a pastor. Here he is now coming in the midst of everybody. What stamina he has shown. What a grueling schedule. For all the enthusiasm and love that surrounds him. The energy at 78 years old.

HARLOW: And with quite a smile, quite a smile.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: And I would say picking up on what you just said, Chris and Poppy too. As the week has gone along, it is almost as if his body has gotten weaker but his spirit has gotten stronger and higher. And he clearly draw strength - this afternoon he seems a little bit tired but with that drive around the parkway - that's going to energize him (INAUDIBLE).

HARLOW: Keep in mind, a 78-year-old man, the Pope, his first visit ever to the United States to be greeted in this way, unlike any other person in the world. But this has clearly shaped what his message will be, Father Beck, tomorrow morning in that final mass before he leaves. As you have been an observer of this week, from your perspective, what do you believe he will take? What do you hope he will take from his time here in the United States?

BECK: Remember, this is the reason he has come. Washington and New York were not even in the schedule originally. It was only Philadelphia. And that's why each stop they have put the emphasis on Philadelphia. They did not want New York and Washington to overshadow this.

It was the meeting with the families. The first time this meeting was held was under John Paul II. He began it. Do you know how many people were there? Eight hundred.

CUOMO: Francis applauding the Philadelphia Orchestra. Pope Francis now here, everybody eagerly awaiting the address from the pontiff. And he's enjoying the festivities as well. It is great to see him with a smile on his face. We have seen it so often. Here he comes. Now he has a limp. He has sciatica. It's a common thing that people deal with. It flared up in Cuba. He usually gets physiotherapy. He hasn't been able to get it on this trip because of his rigorous schedule. So that's why he seemed limping. He's just toughing it out.

Now, he's going to take a seat.

HARLOW: I believe we will hear from the Archbishop of Philadelphia before we hear from him.

ARCHBISHOP CHARLES CHAPUT, PHILADELPHIA: Good evening and welcome to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection.

We're here to celebrate the family with Pope Francis. And obviously quite a few of his friends showed up. Thank you. All of you have traveled and sacrificed to be here. Your love for the holy father shows to the whole world the joy at the heart of the gospel.

We call the Pope holy father for a reason. It is because the church is a family of families from every corner of the world. And like a good father the Pope leads us with wisdom and mercy. Most of all he teaches us that gratitude and happiness of being fully alive as children of a loving father.

We have a lot of wonderful things ahead of us tonight. God bless you for being here. God bless you for your witness to the importance of families. And god bless Pope Francis for many years to come.

POPE FRANCIS: In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Peace be with you.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: And also with you.

POPE FRANCIS: Let us pray.

[19:40:00]

(INAUDIBLE) has its firm foundation, look with compassion on the prayers of your servants and follow in the example of the Holy Family of your only begotten son and practice in the virtues of family life so we may in the joy of your house, delight one day in eternal lives through out lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one word, forever and ever.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: Amen.

MARK WAHLBERG, ACTOR: Good evening. And welcome to the festival of families.

My name is Mark Wahlberg. And I'm so proud to be part of this awe- inspiring event. Holy Father, we are blessed and graced to be in your presence. Father, welcome to Philadelphia.

This is the city of brotherly love. One of my favorite cities in the world. Father, isn't this a great crowd?

So, listen, I've been very fortunate I haven't done too bad for myself in the film industry as an actor and a producer. But I feel most blessed today being on the stage with the holy father and here with all of my fellow Christians. I truly feel like today I can do anything. And I attribute all my success to my Catholic faith.

My faith has given me the ability to be a good father, a good husband. And most importantly, a good person. Faith brings great joy to my life, and my life brings me closer to my faith.

Tonight we come together from across the world to celebrate our faith, families, and community. The following ceremony will feature an impressive musical and visual arts performances as well as personal stories of joy and challenge from six families who have traveled here from different continents.

So let's start this thing off with a beautiful collaboration between Christian chart topper Maria Miller and the dances of the Pennsylvania Ballet.

(MUSIC PLAYING) HARLOW: As we continue to watch what is turning out to be just an absolutely glorious night here in Philadelphia. The Pope is on the stage. He cannot frankly, Chris, stop smiling.

CUOMO: It's a great night. He knows people are here for the right reason regardless of what they believe in. What they believe in is each other. That's what matters most to him. As Marie Miller sings and the Pope gets a much needed rest. He'll enjoy the music. We'll take a quick break.

When we come back, what a night from Philadelphia, CNN is bringing to you. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:12]

HARLOW: Welcome back to what is a beautiful scene on a beautiful evening here in Philadelphia. I'm Poppy Harlow, live with Chris Cuomo. Our coverage of the Pope's historic visit to America and his day in Philadelphia as we listen to Marie Miller performing.

CUOMO: And that's the Philadelphia Ballet there.

HARLOW: Absolutely stunning. Pope Francis can't stop smiling from the moment he walked on the stage as he's watching all of this at the festival of families. I should note that six Catholic families will celebrate on stage tonight at this event.

First up, we have a couple engaged to be married. (INAUDIBLE) from Australia. After them, another family one that brought their children all the way from Ukraine to be here tonight. After that, (INAUDIBLE) and (INAUDIBLE) of Jordan. They came here all the way from Jordan with their two children. Then a family that came from Nigeria, that is followed by Leona and Rudy Gonzales of the United States. They are here with their two daughters. Finally a couple from the Pope's native home of Argentina celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary will be here on stage tonight. Six families.

CUOMO: Marie Miller and the Pennsylvania Ballet, not Philadelphia. I'm sorry. Performing the Pope approves. That's got to be a high honor for them. Now these families around the world in different situations in life, all being here. Why? Because of the obvious. The obvious is is often forgotten. That is we are all connected. You feel it in every faith. They would say it is the collaborators in creation. For the Jews, (INAUDIBLE) that we are all here to finish the unfinished business of creation.

The concepts that Francis talks about are universal. Let's listen Mark Wahlberg, the big star who says he owes it all to his Catholicism.

[19:50:05]

AMY WALL, PRAYERD FOR HELP FROM ST. KATHERINE DREXEL: A reading from the book of the prophet Hosiah. When Israel was a child, I loved him. Out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called him, the farther they went from me, sacrifices (INAUDIBLE) and burning incense to idols. It is I who (INAUDIBLE) took them in my arms but they did not know that I cared for them. I (INAUDIBLE) with human (INAUDIBLE) bent down to feed them. He shall return to the land of Egypt (INAUDIBLE) because they have refused her (INAUDIBLE)

CUOMO: A reading from the book of the prophet Hosiah. It is being read by Amy Wall. She is a beneficiary of a miracle through the intercession of St. Katharine Drexel. Let's listen.

WALL: ... so they call in and (INAUDIBLE) shall not raise them up. How can I give up on you Abraham or deliver you up, Israel, how can I treat you as (INAUDIBLE). My heart is overwhelm and my pity is stern. I will not (INAUDIBLE) destroy Efriam again for I am god, not a man. The holy man present among you I will not come (INAUDIBLE).

WAHLBERG: Camilias and Kelly is from a large family in Australia. They are engaged to be married on November 21st, 2015, less than two months away. And they acknowledge the joys and fears involved in looking towards sharing their lives together. Please welcome Camilias and Kelly.

CAMILKUS O'KANE: We are very happy to have traveled here from australia to deliver this message to you. We grew up - we grew up in outback, Australia, in a small, agricultural community, located 200 miles apart from each other. We were friends for 14 years before eventually deciding to become man and wife.

KELLY KANE: During our courtship and engagement, we have struggled to live the virtue of chastity as we believe this is the surest path to a happy marriage and the best way for us to get to know each other. We wanted our relationship to be a true friendship, strengthened by a pure love for each other and an even greater love for our lord.

To this end, we have prayed the rosary, attended mass together and received the sacrament of penance regularly. Like any couple, we have some fears about getting married. In our country, there is a high rate of divorce. And we often wonder, how can we be sure that this will not happen to us?

Furthermore, we are concerned about the increased push to change the legal definition of marriage and what that would mean for us, our children and our community, our societies.

O'KANE: We are further concerned about being able to provide for our future family should the economics - our circumstances change. We hope to be able to go to mass each day but we are worried about the shortage of priests in rural Australia where we intend to live after we are married.

But other than these hopes, we are filled with hope, hope that we are able to - hope that I will be able to come home to each other, to love each other and to respect each other.

WALSH: If our marriage is blessed with children, we hope to raise them to know, love and serve god. We hope to help them to be good citizens who contribute to the greater society.

[19:55:04]

We will strive to always love each other and to keep a sense of humor and to have lots of fun together. We will spend quality time together as a family and pray together each day. We also hope to be a support for our family and friends, to help them to know how much god loves them. Holy Father, we are praying for you and we thank you for your guidance as a successor of Peter.

We ask you, please pray for us in these last two months before we get married. And for all couples who are engaged and already married. Thank you.

As we just heard from the first of six couples to speak to Pope Francis, Camillus O'Kane and Kelly Walsh, an engaged couple from Australia, to you Bruce (INAUDIBLE), you see that this is reflective of one other moment we've seen from this Pope and it's actually very, very rare.

UNIDENTIFIED EMALE: What's rare is to hear this direct interchange between lay people and the Pope. As we know there is Synod of Bishops happening next month. There was a preliminary synod that was held a year ago in preparation and he invited lay people. He actually invited people of different faiths, faith leaders, different people to speak directly and it's his way of delivery this message to the church as we want ideas not to come from just the top down but from the bottom up.

CUOMO: But they are also doing something interesting here. They are picking six different families, six different places with six different facets of where faith plays a role. Marriage is hard. Divorce is real. If you have grounding in faith and you share that and you live a marriage through it, that is a real blessing and an advantage and I'm not surprised they are doing that now because Catholics are suffering from divorce as much as anybody in this country.