Unlike residents of Center City, the people of Hunting Park were somewhat unaffected by the visit of Pope Francis. People, for the most part, just carried on with their normal routines. Over the weekend church was in session, basketball was played and football was watched.
“What do I think about the pope? I’ve got 99 problems but the pope ain’t one,” said Byrd Walker, a Hunting Park resident.
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Many members of Harvest Time Christian Fellowship didn’t feel strongly one way or the other about the pope’s visit. This is largely because Protestant Christians do not follow the pope as their spiritual leader.
“Obviously, for a lot of practicing Catholics, the fact that he’s coming to Philadelphia is very significant,” said Ezechial Thurman, a member of the church. “I think to me personally, I see it in the same way that I would see President Obama staying in the city for a few days.”
There was still a lot of respect for the pope and many appreciated the break from work that resulted from his visit. For the most part, however, the neighborhood was simply waiting for things to return to normal.
– Text, photos and video by Holli Stephens and Harrison Brink
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