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| Pope Francis Arrives in New York After Touring Washington | Pope Francis Arrives in New York After Touring Washington |
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| Pope Francis arrived in New York City on Thursday, his plane touching down at Kennedy International Airport shortly after 5 p.m. as he began the second leg of his tour of the United States. | |
| After walking off the plane, he greeted several schoolchildren, who presented him with a book of prayers written by students. He chatted amiably, giving each child a pat on the head and greeting others gathered on the tarmac. He laughed when he was handed a bobblehead version of himself before boarding a helicopter and heading to Manhattan. | After walking off the plane, he greeted several schoolchildren, who presented him with a book of prayers written by students. He chatted amiably, giving each child a pat on the head and greeting others gathered on the tarmac. He laughed when he was handed a bobblehead version of himself before boarding a helicopter and heading to Manhattan. |
| Speaking earlier before the nation’s leaders in Washington, the pope issued a call for action, urging lawmakers to combat the dangers posed by climate change, show compassion for immigrants and refugees, and work toward peace in a world too often riven by war and conflict. | |
| In New York, Francis will extend his message to leaders from around the world on Friday morning when he addresses some 170 of them at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. | In New York, Francis will extend his message to leaders from around the world on Friday morning when he addresses some 170 of them at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. |
| During his brief but busy stay, the pope will combine policy speeches and prayer, public spectacle and private outreach. Even before the arrival of the papal plane, christened Shepherd One, the city has been gripped by a sense of anticipation rarely seen in a town not easily fazed by celebrity. | During his brief but busy stay, the pope will combine policy speeches and prayer, public spectacle and private outreach. Even before the arrival of the papal plane, christened Shepherd One, the city has been gripped by a sense of anticipation rarely seen in a town not easily fazed by celebrity. |
| At St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, where Pope Francis was to deliver remarks at an evening prayer vigil, the excitement was palpable hours before his arrival. Starting at 3 p.m., the pews in the newly restored white marble sanctuary began to fill with nearly 2,500 priests, nuns and lay people, many with stories of how they had come to be there. | At St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, where Pope Francis was to deliver remarks at an evening prayer vigil, the excitement was palpable hours before his arrival. Starting at 3 p.m., the pews in the newly restored white marble sanctuary began to fill with nearly 2,500 priests, nuns and lay people, many with stories of how they had come to be there. |
| Zaida Arce, 58, of the Bronx had a stroke this past weekend and thought she would be too ill to make it. She was invited because she serves on an archdiocesan pastoral council that meets several times a year with Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. | Zaida Arce, 58, of the Bronx had a stroke this past weekend and thought she would be too ill to make it. She was invited because she serves on an archdiocesan pastoral council that meets several times a year with Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. |
| “I am kind of in shock a little bit, blessed, and feeling unworthy,” she said. “Because honest to goodness, I never expected to be here.” | “I am kind of in shock a little bit, blessed, and feeling unworthy,” she said. “Because honest to goodness, I never expected to be here.” |
| A few pews over, Kelli Nyre, the wife of the president of Iona College in New Rochelle, sat with her son, Henry, 11, who was among the few children in attendance. “It is really overwhelming to be here,” she said. “I feel an overwhelming sense of peace.” | A few pews over, Kelli Nyre, the wife of the president of Iona College in New Rochelle, sat with her son, Henry, 11, who was among the few children in attendance. “It is really overwhelming to be here,” she said. “I feel an overwhelming sense of peace.” |
| Sacred music started playing just after 4 p.m., as people chatted and milled about. | Sacred music started playing just after 4 p.m., as people chatted and milled about. |
| Francis’ visit is the fifth by a pontiff to the city. Wide areas of Manhattan have been closed to traffic, and thousands of police officers and Secret Service agents have been dispatched as part of one of the most sweeping security efforts in the city’s history. | Francis’ visit is the fifth by a pontiff to the city. Wide areas of Manhattan have been closed to traffic, and thousands of police officers and Secret Service agents have been dispatched as part of one of the most sweeping security efforts in the city’s history. |
| The planning has been going on for months. There have been tabletop exercises, and officials have drilled for both the expected and unexpected. For weeks, agents and officers have gone to the sites on Francis’ itinerary to scope things out on the ground. Among the security measures is an extraordinary mile-long, eight-foot-tall fence up the west side of Central Park that helps creates a corridor with one goal: keeping screened spectators in and unscreened people out. | The planning has been going on for months. There have been tabletop exercises, and officials have drilled for both the expected and unexpected. For weeks, agents and officers have gone to the sites on Francis’ itinerary to scope things out on the ground. Among the security measures is an extraordinary mile-long, eight-foot-tall fence up the west side of Central Park that helps creates a corridor with one goal: keeping screened spectators in and unscreened people out. |
| When Francis arrived in the United States this week, on his first trip to the country, he made a point of introducing himself as the son of immigrants. In this city that was largely built by immigrants, he will carve out time on Friday to meet with more than a hundred immigrants served by Catholic Charities. | When Francis arrived in the United States this week, on his first trip to the country, he made a point of introducing himself as the son of immigrants. In this city that was largely built by immigrants, he will carve out time on Friday to meet with more than a hundred immigrants served by Catholic Charities. |
| Delivering a message of peace, the pope will also visit the National Sept. 11 Memorial on Friday to pray with survivors and victims’ families. | Delivering a message of peace, the pope will also visit the National Sept. 11 Memorial on Friday to pray with survivors and victims’ families. |
| Francis’ visit comes at a difficult time for the New York Archdiocese. Hurt by declining church attendance, a dwindling number of priests and financial troubles, the archdiocese closed nearly 40 churches last month, part of a sweeping reorganization that reduced the total number of parishes to 296 from 368. | Francis’ visit comes at a difficult time for the New York Archdiocese. Hurt by declining church attendance, a dwindling number of priests and financial troubles, the archdiocese closed nearly 40 churches last month, part of a sweeping reorganization that reduced the total number of parishes to 296 from 368. |
| Opponents of the reorganization have cited the humility of Pope Francis as they argue that by closing churches, the archdiocese is taking away services and refuges for the poor. The archdiocese says it cannot be effective if it is saddled with the cost of maintaining a crumbling infrastructure that was built for an earlier era. | Opponents of the reorganization have cited the humility of Pope Francis as they argue that by closing churches, the archdiocese is taking away services and refuges for the poor. The archdiocese says it cannot be effective if it is saddled with the cost of maintaining a crumbling infrastructure that was built for an earlier era. |
| The $177 million renovation of St. Patrick’s Cathedral — which the pope will bless on Thursday evening — amid the closing of simpler churches has touched a nerve among some Catholics. | The $177 million renovation of St. Patrick’s Cathedral — which the pope will bless on Thursday evening — amid the closing of simpler churches has touched a nerve among some Catholics. |
| But the news is not all glum. | But the news is not all glum. |
| Across the three city boroughs and seven upstate counties that make up the archdiocese, there is no shortage of vibrant parishes. There are flourishing charities, soup kitchens and good works. And in some areas, particularly those welcoming new immigrants, numbers of parishioners are expanding. | Across the three city boroughs and seven upstate counties that make up the archdiocese, there is no shortage of vibrant parishes. There are flourishing charities, soup kitchens and good works. And in some areas, particularly those welcoming new immigrants, numbers of parishioners are expanding. |
| New York is a city of economic extremes, and Francis will see both sides on his tour: working-class children at a parochial school in East Harlem and top Catholic donors at Thursday’s St. Patrick’s evening service. | New York is a city of economic extremes, and Francis will see both sides on his tour: working-class children at a parochial school in East Harlem and top Catholic donors at Thursday’s St. Patrick’s evening service. |
| The closest thing to an open event will be his Friday evening tour through Central Park, where he will be welcomed by some 80,000 people who won tickets through a city lottery. | The closest thing to an open event will be his Friday evening tour through Central Park, where he will be welcomed by some 80,000 people who won tickets through a city lottery. |
| Later in the evening, 20,000 people will attend Mass at Madison Square Garden. | Later in the evening, 20,000 people will attend Mass at Madison Square Garden. |