When Pope Francis delivers his address at Independence Hall next month, he will stand behind a nondescript, lectern of dark walnut, largely unused since it was placed in a cemetery in Gettysburg on Nov. 19, 1863. There, President Abraham Lincoln gripped its softly curved sides and etched into the history books, “Four score and seven years ago…” Amid the hustle of big-picture logistics and intense plans for Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia Sept. 26 and 27 is the chest-high lectern that will link Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to the pope’s widely anticipated speech on religious freedom and immigration.
And today we celebrate...