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Pope Francis Immortalized in Dirty Frank's Mural of Famous Franks

The iconic dive bar prepares to welcome the Pope to Philly in style.

Dirty Frank's facade, pre-Francis.
Dirty Frank's facade, pre-Francis.
Dirty Frank's/Facebook

Pope Francis's hotly anticipated official visit isn't until the weekend of September 26, but papal hysteria is already palpable across Philadelphia. With massive crowds expected and a "traffic box" drawn around a huge portion of the city already confounding residents, restaurateurs are reportedly more than a little apprehensive about what the visit will mean for business.

But iconic dive bar Dirty Frank's seems to be keeping up a positive attitude, adding Pope Francis's likeness to the ranks of Franks strewn across its famous facade. The work was documented today on Twitter by Lauren Vidas (@BroadAndMarket) and spotted and shared by Philebrity:

David McShane, the same artist who originally painted the mural in 2005, was back in action to make the addition. The plan to add Pope Francis to the facade was put forth as a possibility earlier this year in a Philly.com profile of the dive bar. "It would fit," owners Jody Sweitzer and Brad Pierce told author Danya Henninger, "because the pope himself used to be a bouncer."

Dirty Frank's

347 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 732-5010

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