30. October 2015

MEDIAMESH®: Glowing greeting for the Pope

During his first visit to the US, Pope Francis also took the opportunity to take part in the 8th World Meeting of Families Congress in Philadelphia. He completed a 3-day program in the city that is considered one of the most important locations for Americans, as it is home to both the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The American Declaration of Independence was announced and the US constitution ratified here, which is why it is generally considered the birthplace of American history. As it was keen to offer a special greeting to the head of the Catholic Church, the city had the enormous MEDIAMESH® screen of the Mellon Independence Center light up in the colors of the Vatican.

In keeping with the maxim of “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive”, Pope Francis joined in the celebrations at the intercultural family festival in Philadelphia. He then rounded off his US visit with a large mass held in front of more than a million believers from across the globe. In his sermon, held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pope focused on the topics of family and environmental protection. Prior to this, he had driven through the streets of Philadelphia in his Popemobile, where he was cheered on and celebrated by a large and clearly excited crowd. The city also had something special planned for the guest of honor just a few streets from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, having prepared the 110 meter long and 4.4 meter high transparent MEDIAMESH® display of the Mellon Independence Center to light up in the colors of the Vatican. This fascinating lighting installation in yellow and white gave the guest of honor a moving welcome. The 480 square meter screen made of stainless steel mesh, which had only been delivered a few months earlier, was the ideal platform for this. Some 280,566 pixels ensured that the colors on the roof of one of Philadelphia’s most beautiful buildings lit up in full splendor and could be seen from a great distance.