Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania, along with Penn’s Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society, will host a rapid response panel on the local and global significance of the visit by Pope Francis to Philadelphia.

The event will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Amado Recital Hall in Irvine Auditorium, 3401 Spruce St. A reception will follow.

The panelists will be:

• Melissa Rogers, a Penn Law graduate and special assistant to the president and executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
• Sister Mary Scullion, president and executive director of Project HOME, a nonprofit seeking to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. In 2009, she was named by Time magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World"
• John DiIulio, a Penn alumnus; Penn’s Frederic Fox Leadership Professor of Politics, Religion and Civil Society and professor of political science; and director of Penn’s Robert A. Fox Leadership Program and Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society

Perry World House is Penn’s University-wide hub for global engagement and interdisciplinary international policy research. It connects the University to the international policy world through public programming and brings Penn’s intellectual resources to bear on global challenges of the 21st century.

The Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society sponsors research, courses, events, fellowships and special projects related to religion and science, church-state relations and community-serving faith-based programs.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged at http://PWHPopeDiscussion.eventbrite.com.

Note: Members of the media interested in attending should contact Jacquie Posey at 215-898-6460 or jposey@upenn.edu.