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Open up your home for pope's visit

The World Meeting of Families will bring more than 1 million visitors to Philly. Can they stay with you?

Archbishop Charles Chaput: Get your host on, Catholics! ( DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer )
Archbishop Charles Chaput: Get your host on, Catholics! ( DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer )Read more

PHILADELPHIANS are so much nicer than they think they are.

I'm reminded of this every time we run a story in the Daily News about someone who's in a bad way - pummeled by illness, betrayed by bureaucracy, knocked sideways by an unforeseen catastrophic loss.

The tales elicit tsunamis of generosity from readers who open their hearts, homes and wallets to relieve the burdens of struggling strangers.

Which then elicits a standard reaction from helper and helpee.

"It was nothing!" says the helper.

"It's nice to know there are still good people out there!" says the helpee in astonishment, as if all the good people died a long time ago, leaving only jerks among us.

It's so frustratingly Philly, this playing down of our goodness while simultaneously seeing our goodness as the exception to the cranky rule. It may give us a rough charm, but Lord, it's tiresome.

So how do we correct the perception?

By inviting strangers into our homes.

Stay with me on this.

In September, a million-plus visitors are expected to squeeze into Philly for the World Meeting of Families, a gathering of Catholics from around the globe. But the city's 11,000 hotel rooms are already booked, and the region itself has only about 60,000 total.

Attendees are in desperate need of shelter.

So Philly Archbishop Charles Chaput is asking local Catholics to open their homes to attendees. Not for free, but for a reasonable sum, so that these pilgrims can renew their faith en masse and maybe catch a glimpse of Pope Francis, the meeting's rock-star draw.

What a fabulous idea.

When outsiders get to know us, one-on-one, they see that we're not all meatheaded sports fans, booing Santa. We're not all carrying guns, peddling drugs and cowering in fear. We're so much more than the worn-out stereotypes - and it's a joy when outsiders realize it, too.

Case in point: Since September, I've been hanging out with four international students studying at Temple University, via a program called TemPals. It pairs alums (that's me) with foreign students for friendship and mentoring.

With each activity we share and each holiday they spend with my nutty, friendly family, they're delighted to learn that not all Americans fit the ugly-American stereotype perpetuated around the world.

But falling in love with these intrepid young people has changed my world, too.

When I hear the word "Taiwan," I now think of Chi-Chen's quiet warmth and great cooking. South Korea reminds me of Haelen's beautiful smile. Germany calls to mind Sarah's easy nature and great humor. And Italy makes me ache for another hug from wonderful Giulia.

That's the beauty of stranger hospitality: It puts a friendly face on a foreign place, as Nancy Gilboy well knows. She's executive director of Citizen Diplomacy International of Philadelphia (formerly known as the International Visitors Council). The nonprofit promotes goodwill between Philadelphians and the rest of the world through plain-old American friendship.

"When we open our homes to people from other countries, we're showing the real America - our kinder, gentler side - not what's seen in the movies or in a negative world press," Gilboy says. "It shows the volunteer nature of Americans. And since my office has arranged thousands of homestay nights in Philadelphia over the past few decades, I know that our city's residents will make the entire country look great" during World Families Week.

Gilboy hopes that people of all faiths will open their homes and hearts to these visitors.

"And I hope that the foreign press lives with Philadelphia families, too," she adds, "so they can spread the word to a larger audience that we're really nice people after all. Citizen diplomacy is so important because it's authentic."

So come on, Philly. A lot of good people will soon flood the city - the same way they flooded the little town of Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago, forcing one young couple to hole up in a grubby manger instead of in a comfortable home.

What would Jesus do?

Wanna host a family? Go to ph.ly/worldmeeting.

To check out Citizen Diplomacy International, go to ph.ly/citizendiplomacy.