Massive “Pope Pub Crawl” Planned During Papal Visit

UPDATE [8/19/2015, 3:14 pm]: Organizer Matt Stehman posted on the Pope Crawl event page that he may be canceling the event, saying, “Due to logistical concerns, particularly the closing of major bridges and roadways beginning Friday, Sept 25, limited SEPTA service, and Secret Service involvement, I am currently leaning toward canceling this event. In the event of a cancellation, those of you who donated via the gofundme page will be refunded in full.” He says the continuation of the Pope Crawl depends on feedback from those who want to attend. So far, several have commented with things like, “The Pope Crawl must go on,” and “Let’s do this!” We’re keeping our eye on the page to see what Stehman decides.

ORIGINAL: As if the Pope’s upcoming visit to Philadelphia hasn’t promised enough shenanigans, plans are underway for a massive Pope Pub Crawl to be held on Saturday, September 26th—Pope Francis’s first day here in the City of Brotherly Love.

Although there are no official details planned for the crawl yet—such as specific bars that will be participating—more than 7,600 people RSVPd “attending” on the Facebook event page. The event organizer, Matt Stehman, wrote on the page: “While it has a funny name, pictures, etc, this event was not intended to poke fun at the Catholic church, the pope, or any of their followers. This event was created to celebrate the arrival of a world leader who, in my opinion, is a great role model for all of humanity, regardless of religion.”

Stehman also created a GoFundMe page to raise money for the printing of official “Pope Crawl” T-shirts, which will be sold to benefit local hunger-fighting nonprofit Philabundance. Any leftover funds made on the page will also be donated to Philabundance, Stehman writes.

Pope Francis’s official visit to Philadelphia will take place on September 26th and September 27th, ending with an open mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sunday afternoon. As the closing event for the World Meeting of Families 2015, the 4 pm mass is expected to attract a crowd of 1.5 million people.

Follow the Pope Pub Crawl Facebook event page to keep track of more details.