Pope Francis Steers Clear of Politics in NYC Homily

By Rick Hampson
York Daily Record
September 24, 2015

http://www.ydr.com/nation-world/ci_28875069/pope-francis-steers-clear-politics-nyc-homily

Pope Francis arrived here amid throngs of cheering, flag-waving fans for a historic visit to the Big Apple.

The pope stepped through the huge, recently renovated bronze doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral, as a congregation of about 2,500 greeted him with a roar and the choir sang a sacred piece by Mozart written for evening prayer.

Francis walked down the center aisle of the church, sprinkling holy water on those gathered.

The pope entered midtown in his signature Fiat but moved to his Popemobile for the last few blocks down Fifth Avenue to the cathedral, waving to crowds en route. Church Bells chimed; the pope waved; the crowd roared.

In his homily, he avoided political issues and spoke instead to Roman Catholics, particularly the many priests, nuns and brothers in his audience, about spiritual issues.

Speaking in Spanish from a lectern on the high altar of St. Patrick's, the pope focused on a call for "gratitude and hard work,'' which he called "pillars of the spiritual life.''

But he was twice interrupted by loud applause when he praised U.S. nuns, who'd been the subject of a Vatican investigation that Francis closed after taking office in 2013 following the sudden resignation of Benedict XVI.

When he was a powerful member of the Vatican Curia and enforcer of church doctrine, Benedict - then Cardinal Ratzinger - was thought to look askance at American nuns who took liberal political and ecclesiastical stands.

His successor, however, offered "my special thanks to women religious of the United States. What would we do without you?'' After the applause finally died down, he went on to call nuns "women of strength" and "fighters'' against poverty and for social justice. He told them, "I love you very much!''

Francis also cited nuns' role in what he called "the evolving pastoral landscape'' - which could have been an allusion to the church's worsening priest shortage, or a growing leadership role he envisions for women, or both.

Francis began his homily with something not in his prepared text - an expression of sympathy to "our Muslim brothers and sisters", adding, "in the face of the tragedy they have suffered in Mecca.'' He referred to the death off more than 700 in a stampede there.

Pope Francis speaks during evening prayer service at St. Patrick's Cathedral. (Mary Altaffer, Pool photo)

The pope reached the cathedral on Fifth Avenue via motorcade after taking a helicopter from Kennedy Airport. Francis flew in from Washington after a two-day visit to the city that included a speech to a joint session of Congress and a visit to the White House.

The prayer service is the first event on the pope's itinerary in New York, the second city on his U.S. tour. Earlier, he spent the day in Washington where he wrapped up his trip there with an address to Congress and a trip to Catholic Charities.

Over an intense 40 hours set to start with the sunset evening prayer service, he will address world leaders at the United Nations, participate in an interfaith service at the Sept. 11 memorial museum at ground zero and celebrate Mass at Madison Square Garden.

Over the next two days, Francis will address the United Nations General Assembly, visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and celebrate Mass for a congregation of more than 20,000 at Madison Square Garden.

St. Patrick's Cathedral is the emotional and symbolic heart of American Catholicism since its completion in 1879.

Margaret Rice and her cousin's daughter Kimberly Uszacki, 15, traveled from Staten Island to see the pope arrive on 5th avenue and 54th Street.

They arrived soon after security began letting people in at 1 p.m. They waited more than five hours to catch a glimpse of the pope.

"I thought it was very fulfilling. I got so emotional. It was beautiful," Rice said after the pope passed by for a moment.

"There's so much division," Rice said while shedding tears. "It's just so nice that he's unifying everyone . . . It's a once in a lifetime thing."

Francis touched on another sensitive subject during his homily, expressing sympathy for the church's priests and religious in connection with the clergy sex scandal that has rocked the church. He said they've had to "bear the shame'' of the misdeeds of "some of your brothers'' - an apparent reference to priest pedophiles and other wrongdoers.

Citing the Book of Revelation, Francis told his priests, "you have come forth from the great Tribulation.''

Some advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse have faulted Francis for such remarks on his U.S. visit, saying that his concern would be better focused on victims, and that he should tell bishops to cooperate more fully with investigations.

Hours before the pope's New York City arrival, parts of midtown Manhattan were already locked down with tighter-than-usual security precautions. In addition to the dump trucks, white-painted concrete blocks about 3 feet high enabled police officers to regulate pedestrian access as they stood guard at street corners.

Southbound Fifth Ave., which runs past the cathedral's main entrance, and northbound Madison Ave., which runs past the rear of the famed house of prayer, would normally be bustling with evening rush hour traffic. But both thoroughfares were locked down before 3 p.m., with no vehicle passage north or south for many blocks.

A metal mesh fence, about 8 feet high, ran along the sidewalks on both sides of Fifth Ave. near St. Patrick's. Inside the fence, hundreds of spectators lucky enough to nab tickets to watch the pope's arrival waited behind additional police barricades hoping for a glimpse of the religious leader.

The occasion Francis presided over at the cathedral later Friday evening is called vespers, an ancient Christian service of evening prayer. It's usually relatively low-key - there's no communion - but not when the pope comes to town.

Ushers wore white gloves and tails. The wand and vessel with which the pope sprinkled holy water on the congregation had been polished to a high gloss. The order of worship included six cardinals and three dozen bishops, many of them from New York City's two dioceses.

Also invited were many priests, brothers and nuns, including Sister Ellen O'Connor, a hospital chaplain in Yonkers, N.Y., and member of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus religious order.

She said she got in only because someone had an extra ticket, and was thrilled by her good luck. "It's a gift to be here, to pray with the Holy Father and all these people,'' she said. "I think it will deepen our understanding of his message of mercy, and of compassion of all of God's creation.''

The congregation also included donors to the three-year, $175 million restoration of St. Patrick's, a National Historic Landmark. The exterior was washed, including the twin 330-foot spires. Every glass panel in all 75 stained glass windows was cleaned. The great bronze front doors on Fifth Avenue were restored.

But the project was not without controversy, particularly in the pontificate of a man who has emphasized humble service to the poor and shunned some of the church's more opulent trappings, such as the papal apartment in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.

As the work progressed, the archdiocese announced a consolidation plan that closed or merged dozens of parishes across the sprawling 10-county archdiocese. Although Cardinal Timothy Dolan said the closings were prompted largely by a growing shortage of priests, some members of the shuttered parishes accused him of trying to finance the cathedral work on the backs of local churches.