By Bridget O’Brien

As a native daughter of Philadelphia, I’ve been following news of Francis’s planned trip there since it was more an assumption than a fact. That probably seems reasonable—it’s not every day the pontiff visits your hometown—but if I’m honest, it’s not Francis-mania that makes me scroll through pages of coverage. I’m excited about the pope . . . but the level of energy I’ve invested in following rumors of Francis’s impending visit to Philadelphia is not significantly lower than the energy I invest in rumors of friends’ spouses’ cousins’ visiting Philadelphia.

Philadelphians are obsessed with Philly.