By: Danell Burton-Worrell

Traffic on major highways, and the Ben Franklin Bridge will be restricted in the city before, during, and after Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Zoo and many other businesses will be closed for this weekend. Also, on public transportation they have selected scheduled stops and if you don’t have the 3-day SEPTA pass you cannot get on. Many Philly public and private schools will be closed during the papal visit. The citywide Francis Festival will take place over the weekend of September 26-27. Pope Francis will arrive on Saturday, September 26 and speak at Independence Hall before celebrating at the Festival of Families.

A massive party will also be held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. On Sunday afternoon the pope will say a Mass for thousands of people. Actor Mark Wahlberg will host The Festival of Families with Pope Francis in Philadelphia. There will also be star-studded performances by Aretha Franklin, The Fray, Jim Gaffigan, Marie Miller, Andrea Bocelli, Juanes and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The World Meeting of Families Conference is the world’s largest gathering of Catholic families. This even will host 100 speakers, panel discussions, workshops and more at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The World Meeting of Families is to explore the role family plays in society and to give families opportunities to talk about their challenges and blessings. This will be the group’s eighth meeting.

According to intelligencer an online newspaper “In less than a week’s time, the event is expected to generate an estimated $420 million in economic impact almost all of it related to the papal visit, and directly and indirectly support more than 100,000 jobs”.