More popular than any team or band, Pope Francis crashes websites and crushes infrastructure ahead of visit

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has a problem. How to transport over a quarter-million pilgrims into, and back out of Philadelphia during Pope Francis' visit? The solution is to stage a lottery where the winners get to buy train tickets and a chance to see and hear the Holy Father speak. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - For just one day, 350,000 rail passes were made available to pilgrims whose plan to see Pope Francis involves staying away from Philadelphia and commuting to and from the event by rail. Officials from SEPTA said that over 38,000 individuals have entered to purchase the passes, and each person may buy up to 10 which can then be shared out. It is uncertain if the 350,000 passes will be enough to meet demand. 

The passes originally went on sale in July, but demand caused the SEPTA website to crash, prompting officials to seek a way to equitably distribute the passes without crashing the website. The idea of a lottery selected as the fairest option. 

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Officials say that in July, nearly a million people visited the site within the first 10 minutes of the passes going on sale and about 1,700 transactions were made per minute, before the site crashed from the overload.  

In this next round of distribution, lucky buyers will receive an email when it's time for them to purchase their passes. 

Not all of the people who entered will be able to buy passes, so there will be winners and losers. For those who lose, another way will have to be found into the city. 

Meanwhile, Philadelphia officials are hard at work with Church officials, planning to host what may easily be the city's largest gathering ever. 

Papal visits have the potential to paralyze cities for short periods and can crush infrastructure. Every city that hosts Pope Francis must prepare temporary lodgings, sanitary facilities and more to host the faithful. Hotels sell out despite extreme pricing, schools and public centers are turned into temporary lodging, private individuals make money renting their spare rooms and floors to pilgrims. Churches stay open around the clock.

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Philadelphia is expecting two million pilgrims to flock into the city, but some estimates place the number even higher. 

If there is inspiration to be drawn from this logistical nightmare it is this: the Holy Father, a man of incredible faith, still draws far more people than any band, celebrity or sporting event in the world. 

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