VIDEO: Pope John Paul II Arrives in Philadelphia, 1979

Pope John Paul II made a historic visit to Philadelphia in 1979. On Sunday, the Roman Catholic Church will officially canonize him as a saint.

NBC 10 recently posted a video of Pope John Paul II arriving in Philadelphia in 1979. And what better time to share it than today, with Pope John Paul II among two men to be canonized on Sunday. Pope John XXIII, who called the Second Vatican Council, will also be named a saint.

The head of the Ukranian Catholic Church in the area, Stefan Soroka, tells KYW 1060’s Mark Abrams his memories of JP2’s 1979 visit: “He came in, he knelt, he prayed.”

While some are opposed to John Paul II’s canonization, one can be certain that longtime residents of Port Richmond will be having weekend-long parties this weekend. Several Philadelphia Catholics will be in Rome this weekend.