Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYers Show Up in Force for Pope Benedict, Even Giuliani
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 20, 2008
Modified Apr 20, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 7
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 20, 2008
Modified Apr 20, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Photograph of the Popemobile heading up Fifth Avenue by Louis Lanzano/AP
Yesterday, thousands of people lined Fifth Avenue for a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI. After giving the first ever papal mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral--and having a private lunch with Cardinal Egan--Pope Benedict emerged in his Popemobile to cheering crowds. Before his only Popemobile trip, the pontiff asked the audience at St. Patrick's for greater unity in the Catholic church.
One of many heartwarming stories: A Secret Service agent plucked a little boy with muscular dystrophy and his mother from the crowd to attend the mass. Mother Beverly Ruiz, who traveled from Texas, said the Pope "came over and blessed him, and my son just smiled. It's just a miracle in itself, there's no way to describe it. It's just an absolute miracle that this happened in our lives."
Another maybe-miracle: Rudy Giuliani managed to receive Holy Communion at the mass, which isn't technically allowed since he's three-times married and is pro-choice.
On Saturday afternoon, Pope Benedict went to St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, where he blessed a number of disabled children (read the text here) and attended a youth rally where Kelly Clarkson and other entertainers performed. But if you get to His Holiness' actual text, you'll find it, as David Gibson writes, "very meaty, very encouraging, very Benedictine."
Today Pope Benedict will visit Ground Zero and meet with a small number of September 11 survivors and victims' families and later give a mass at Yankee Stadium before going back to the Vatican. You can see the Ground Zero visit and Yankee Stadium mass on local news stations or online (at the websites of WNBC, 7online, WCBS, MyFox).
Tagged
Catholic Church
nyc
pope benedict
popepourri
rudy giuliani
st. patrick's cathedral
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
Nearly 1 million in the city risk losing benefits as a result of new federal restrictions.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 12:43 p.m. ET
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
These are the NYC neighborhoods that will get free 2-K next fall
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Get to know Wanda, the donkey in the Met's 'La Bohème'
By
James Ramsay
Eric Adams' NYC buildings boss Eric Ulrich heads to trial, 3 years after arrest
By
David Brand
and
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .