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WILKES-BARRE — Martz Trailways will not increase bus routes to Philadelphia for Pope Francis’ two-day visit in September, but part of the company fleet will be headed to the City of Brotherly Love that weekend.
The Wilkes-Barre-based bus company has chartered 22 of its 80 buses to the Scranton Diocese for area Catholics and clergy to pilgrimage into the city, Bob Chepalonis, general manager at Martz Trailways, said.
Bill Genello, spokesman for the Diocese of Scranton, said the chartered buses are filled.
The Diocese of Scranton’s news publication The Catholic Light reported that when Epiphany Parish announced that it had acquired a bus, “it filled up within two days, and there is a waiting list.”
The papal visit scheduled for Sept. 26 and 27 coincides with World Meeting of Families that begins Sept. 22.
World Meeting of Families, sponsored by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family, is held every three years. The five-day celebration is the largest gathering of Catholic families worldwide.
The World Meeting of Families — Philadelphia 2015 event is themed “Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”
Many area Catholics have targeted attending the papal Mass on Sunday at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, marking the conclusion of World Meeting of Families, Genello said.
The Mass is estimated to be about one to two hours, Chepalonis said.
Thousands of Catholics are expected to converge on Philadelphia for the week, resulting in higher security protocols involving bus routes and parking.
“There are still some unknown factors,” Chepalonis said.
One issue facing bus companies is a required certification and registration of drivers and vehicles with Homeland Security through goground.com, Chepalonis said.
This is Pope Francis’s first visit to Philadelphia. His itinerary includes visiting Independence Mall, the Festival of Families and the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, as well as celebrating a Mass to close out World Meeting of Families.