Plans for the papal visit are still in flux, said city leaders on Monday.
Mayor Michael Nutter held a press conference to refute images of maps purporting to show the security boundaries during Pope Francis’ visit in two months, saying they were inaccurate.
“No official security perimeter has been officially announced by the parties who would actually officially announce a security perimeter for this event,” Nutter said. “Speculative reporting on this matter performs absolutely no legitimate function except to paint a false and/or misleading picture for the public.” Meanwhile, SEPTA delayed a press conference scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday to announce the sales of the Papal Pass required for Regional Rail travel. The press conference is set to be rescheduled “later this week,” said spokeswoman Jerri Williams. There was no information about the cause for the delay.
Sales of the 375,000 Regional Rail passes have already been delayed a full week due to the website being swarmed by thousands of users within minutes of going live. Meanwhile, the public is still digesting reports from PlanPhilly that at aPhiladelphia Parking Authority board meeting, the security perimeter from Girard Avenue to South Street and river to river was discussed, as well as the possibility of closing the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Pope Francis will visit Philadelphia on the weekend of Sept. 26 to 27.