Corbett, Wife Meet Pope Francis

Gov. Tom Corbett and his wife Susan, who are in the Vatican planning the eighth World Meeting of Families, met Pope Francis on Wednesday.

“As a member of the Roman Catholic faith, and in seeing the remarkable impact Pope Francis has had throughout the world, meeting him was a moving and impressive experience,” Corbett said.  “I was immediately humbled by his presence.” 

Corbett and his wife presented gifts from Pennsylvania to the Pope, including: 

• Ceramic tiles representing the four Gospels, made at Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown;
• A copy of the children's book "Noah's Ark" by Philadelphia artist Jerry Pinckney;
• A copy of "Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell,"
• Letters to Pope Francis from schoolchildren in Camp Hill;
• and a glass commemorative etching from the home parish of Governor and Mrs. Corbett, the St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Glenshaw.

The World Meeting of Families was started by Pope John Paul II in 1994, and have been held in Rome (1994); Rio de Janeiro (1997); Rome (2000); Manila (2003); Valencia (2006); Mexico City (2009), and Milan (2012).