Philadelphia needs 10,000 volunteers for Pope visit

ByANDREW SPRINGER ABCNews logo
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
Pope Francis waves as he arrives for a special consistory with cardinals and bishops, in the Synod hall at the Vatican, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015.
AP-AP

PHILADELPHIA -- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia says it needs 10,000 volunteers or more for Pope Francis' visit there in September.

In his weekly column, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput wrote that advance teams from the Holy See have already visited the city.

Francis will attend the final two days of the World Meeting of Families on Sept. 26 and 27.

For comparison, the BBC reported the London Olympics required 70,000 volunteers for the two-week Olympiad.

All volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old. Chaput wrote that registration will soon be open on the event's website.

Organizers are expect up to 2 million people to attend the Pope's closing mass. That's 500,000 more than the population of the city.

For more information, visit this page on WorldMeeting2015.org