Prayer vigil, watch parties being held to mark U.S. visit of Pope Francis

by | Sep 22, 2015 | Uncategorized

Three events are being held in the Des Moines metro area to mark Pope Francis’ visit to the United States as he directs his focus to the issue of climate change.

A prayer vigil will be held the evening before he addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and two watch parties will be held on the day of his address, Thursday, Sept. 24.

The Catholic Diocese of Des Moines and Iowa Interfaith Power & Light will sponsor the prayer vigil at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 at Holy Trinity Church, 2929 Beaver Ave., in Des Moines.

Two watch parties, hosted by the Des Moines Interfaith Green Coalition and the St. Pius Social Justice Committee, are scheduled to view the Pope’s address on Thursday, Sept. 24. The live watch party is at 8 a.m. at Immanuel United Methodist Church, 2900 49th Street in Des Moines. The rebroadcast and discussion will take place at 6:30 p.m. at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 3663 66th Street in Urbandale.
Pope Francis in recent months has made finding solutions to human-caused climate change a priority. This summer, he released his encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si’,” urging immediate and worldwide action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. His call comes months before the planned United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November, at which nations will gather to try to reach binding agreements on climate.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This