Pope Francis reflects on his visit before saying goodbye

At the end of two jammed and joyous days in Philadelphia, there was a heavy silence punctuated by quiet tears as Pope Francis moved through a select gathering at Philadelphia International Airport to board a flight back to Rome.

In brief remarks inside an Atlantic Aviation hangar, Francis said his visit to the United States had been "days of grace for me, and, I pray, for you, too."

He reflected on his visit to ground zero in New York City. While he called the site of the terrorist attack a place that speaks of the "mystery of evil," he added, "We know in God's merciful plan, love and peace triumph over all."

The pope noted that "this land has been blessed with tremendous gifts and opportunities" and then asked his audience to be "good and generous stewards" of those.

Once again, Francis concluded by requesting that those present would pray for him. His last words were: "May God bless you all. God bless America."

Vice President Biden led a delegation to wish Francis well upon his departure. The pope's jet lifted off at 7:47 p.m. In the orchestrated manner of such events, the vice president's plane took off three minutes after that on a different runway.

Among those in the departure delegation were Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Gov. Wolf and his wife, Frances; and Mayor Nutter and his wife, Lisa.

Jim Kenney, the Democratic nominee to succeed Nutter, brought his parents, Barbara and Jim.

"It's been a wonderful two days," Kenney said. "I think the pope will leave the city a better place than before he came."

Francis, he added, had reminded that "we can't just turn our heads from people in need."

Francis thanked those in the crowd - civic leaders, major donors to the church, event organizers and volunteers, along with the elected officials - for making the World Meeting of Families a reality.

Among the diverse crowd of people were Chris Gaysens, the chief executive of Wawa Inc.; Camden County's police chief, Scott Thomson, and Glenn McDonald, a volunteer from Egg Harbor Township, N.J, who became a Catholic two years ago after being moved by the pope's example.

"We hate to see you leave," Chaput told the pope before the Holy Father's final remarks.

Music was provided by the Cardinal O'Hara High School marching band, which played for St. John Paul II when the pope visited Philadelphia in 1979.

Before departing, Francis met with a Delaware family afflicted by tragedy this spring during a vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Francis blessed Theresa Devine, 48, and her husband, Stephen Esmond, 49, and their two teenage sons, Sean, 16, and Ryan, 14. The family fell ill on March 20, and paramedics found Esmond unconscious and the other family members suffering seizures.

The had been exposed to methyl bromide, a highly toxic pesticide banned for use indoors. It had been sprayed in the condo below where the family was staying two days earlier, officials said.

Devine, a dentist with an office in Broomall, is doing well physically, the family's lawyer, James Maron, has told reporters.

Esmond, administrator of a private middle school in Wilmington, still suffers from tremors, struggles to speak, and has trouble turning book pages, Maron said.

The brothers - enrolled at their father's school - spent weeks in medically induced comas. They are conscious but can barely move, Maron said.

A goodbye ceremony participant, Eustace Mita, who chaired fund-raising for the citywide event, said his personal highlight arrived near the end - when Francis blessed his son, Eustace Jr., 38, who has brain cancer.

Mita added, "We have a lot to be thankful for."

He had labored for three years on the gathering. As of Saturday, Mita said, the World Meeting of Families had met its $45 million target, greatly helped by a $5 million contribution from the state.

"Was it worth it?" he asked. "One hundred percent."

Angelo Fichera is an Inquirer staff writer. William Bender is a Daily News staff writer.