Dear Pope Francis:
On behalf of Philadelphia area Quakers, we write to thank you for your generous words in front of Independence Hall about our immigrant forefathers and mothers who founded this colony on the principles of religious freedom and tolerance for all people including those who lived here before we arrived.
Your messages throughout your visit recognizing the poor, the immigrant, the family, the environment and the champions of peace and justice resonated deeply. Though we worship in a different manner on the surface, we recognize and embrace a fellow traveler in the Spirit that unites us all.
And, speaking of traveling, we wish you a safe journey home and, perhaps, a day of rest! When you come again, please come worship among Friends.
In the Light,
Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting