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Pope concludes US trip with Mass at Yankee Stadium in Bronx

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in storied Yankee Stadium on Sunday for his final Mass in America, cheered by a joyous crowd after making a solemn stop at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Tens of thousands of Roman Catholics filled the stadium, chanting, clapping and waving white and yellow handkerchiefs in the Vatican’s colors as the white popemobile pulled in.

Outside the stadium, two yellow dump trucks filled with sand blockaded 161st Street before the Mass, an extra level of security along with the heavy police presence. Pilgrims without tickets pushed up against metal police barricades, hoping to get a glimpse of the arriving pope.

Inside the stadium, ad-splashed outfield walls were draped in white with purple and yellow bunting. A white altar perched over second base, and the papal seal covered the pitcher’s mound, suspended by white and yellow ribbons.

“I have never seen Yankee Stadium so beautiful, and I have season’s tickets,” said Philip Giordano, 49, a tax attorney from Greenwich, Conn., who won seats in the loge section behind home plate through a parish lottery. “It sure beats sitting in my local church.”

Added his wife, Suzanne: “I’m hoping to feel something from (Benedict). Everyone who has seen him says they crumple, their knees buckle. You come away just feeling different.”

The New Orleans crooner Harry Connick Jr., on the pre-Mass concert program, remarked that he is often asked if he’s a practicing Catholic.

“Practicing?” he said. “I’m playing for the pope today.”

Earlier, on a chilly, gray morning, the pope blessed the site of the terror attacks and pleaded with God to bring “peace to our violent world.”

The visit by Benedict to ground zero was a poignant moment in a trip marked by unexpectedly festive crowds anxious to see the former academic who for three years has led the world’s Catholics.

Benedict was driven in the popemobile part-way down a ramp now used mostly by construction trucks to a spot by the north tower’s footprint. He walked the final steps, knelt in silent prayer, then rose to light a memorial candle.

Addressing a group that included survivors, clergy and public officials, he acknowledged the many faiths of the victims at the “scene of incredible violence and pain.”

The pope also prayed for “those who suffered death, injury and loss” in the attacks at the Pentagon and in the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa. More than 2,900 people were killed in the four crashes of the airliners hijacked by al-Qaida.

“God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world,” the pope prayed. “Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred.”

Benedict invited 24 people with ties to ground zero to join him: survivors, relatives of victims and four rescue workers. He greeted each member of the group individually as a string quartet played in the background.

In his prayer, he also remembered those who, “because of their presence here that day, suffer from injuries and illness.”

New York deputy fire chief James Riches, father of a fallen Sept. 11 firefighter, said the pope’s visit gave him consolation.

“We said ‘Where was God?’ on 9/11, but he’s come back here today and they’ve restored our faith,” Riches said.

The site where the World Trade Center was destroyed is normally filled with hundreds of workers building a 102-story skyscraper, a memorial and transit hub. It bears little resemblance to the debris-filled pit where crews toiled to remove twisted steel and victims’ remains.

The remains of more than 1,100 people have never been identified.

Benedict was joined by New York Cardinal Edward Egan, along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Gov. David Paterson and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. The land is owned and managed by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.

Benedict has addressed terrorism several times during his six-day visit.

In a private meeting with President Bush, the two leaders “touched on the need to confront terrorism with appropriate means that respect the human person and his or her rights,” according to a joint U.S.-Holy See statement.

Benedict has been critical of harsh interrogation methods, telling a meeting of the Vatican’s office for social justice last September that, while a country has an obligation to keep its citizens safe, prisoners must never be demeaned or tortured. Read more..

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A Sidewalk Pope in The Bronx

Pope Benedict XVI will be in the Bronx on Sunday morning when he celebrates Mass at Yankee Stadium. But a short distance away, he has been making appearances all week on the sidewalk in front of the Mount Carmel Catholic Book Shop, at 627 East 187th Street.

It is actually his cardboard likeness, placed in front of the store by Neil Fusco, a co-owner of the shop. Judged by the reactions of passers-by, it pleases many people with no tickets to any pope-related events this weekend. They speak to the pope’s likeness or genuflect or stop and pay their respects, on this block next to the many Italian restaurants and bakeries on Arthur Avenue.

“For a lot of people, it’s as close as they’re going to come to meeting the pope,” Mr. Fusco said.

“Everyone wants a piece of the pope while he’s here,” he added.

Aside from communing with the life-size cutout, one can also connect with the pope by stepping inside the shop and picking up a memento of the pope’s visit.

Mr. Fusco is selling “Property of Pope Benedict” T-shirts and “I Love Pope Benedict” bumper stickers, as well as coffee mugs and aromatic “Pope-Pourri” pillows bearing the pope’s likeness. The stuff has been going like hotcakes, he said. It is a perfect example of how the pope offers spiritual guidance but also lets his followers with their livelihoods.

“He’s really providing for us,” Mr. Fusco said.

SOURCE: NYTimes.com Read more..

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A Bronx Detour Could Prove Edifying For Benedict

Strung across the front of the St. Rita of Cascia Church rectory in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx this week is a banner with Pope Benedict XVI’s image superimposed over a photo of the church’s squat, one-story sanctuary.

Behind the pope’s raised arms are immaculate white-washed walls and a red-tiled roof, which could give the impression he is visiting a church in one of the Latin American countries that St. Rita’s mostly Hispanic parishioners call home, not an especially rough corner of what may be the most impoverished congressional district in the nation.

The banner reflects the wishful thinking of the church’s priest that the pope might make a detour this Sunday on his way to Yankee Stadium a few blocks away, as his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, did during a trip to the Bronx in the 1970s. But with security concerns now at an all-time high and because of the neighborhood’s particularly negative reputation for violence and drug crime, the Reverend Jose Gutierrez and his parishioners realize their dream is unlikely to be fulfilled — no matter that St. Rita is the patron of the impossible.

If Benedict were able to venture out to see St. Rita’s on his trip to meet his American flock for the first time, he would find a parish whose struggles have come to reflect some of the larger problems confronting the Catholic Church as a whole.

He might also discover the key to the Catholic Church’s continued hope and vibrancy even as it faces challenges.

“It’s a poor parish, but this doesn’t impede us,” Rev. Gutierrez said.

SOURCE: NYSun.com Read more..

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Pope’s Visit To New York Could Aid Businesses 

During Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to New York, thousands will converge on city streets, outside churches and the hallowed stadium home of the Bronx Bombers, creating both logistical challenges and economic benefits.

The gathering will create security issues and traffic snarls but also inject millions into the city’s anemic economy, said Helana Natt, executive director of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce.

“The economy is tight right now,” she said. “So it’s a great opportunity when you have tourists and people in the metro-New York area coming to see the pope, who are going to turn around and spend money in the city.”

While the visit will help generate business, it may come at a cost to the city. Some agencies, including the police and sanitation departments, will have to pay costly overtime pay.

“It will cost a significant amount of money but we don’t have a final estimate,” Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said last week after revealing thousands of officers will work overtime on the pope’s security.

Tuesday, police officials didn’t return calls.

Department of Sanitation workers, who typically aren’t scheduled to collect garbage Sundays, will earn overtime for cleanup after the Mass at Yankee Stadium, an agency spokesman said, adding that the exact cost hasn’t been tallied.

Benedict arrived in Washington, D.C., yesterday. He touches down Friday at Kennedy Airport. While here, Benedict will visit Ground Zero and hold Mass at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. said Benedict holding Mass at Yankee Stadium is a fitting send-off to the closing ballpark.

“I can’t think of a better way to mark the final year at Yankee Stadium than with a visit from Pope Benedict,” he said.

Eateries like the Heidelberg Restaurant, at 1648 Second Ave., are ready for an expected crush of customers after Benedict attends services at St. Joseph’s Church at East 87th Street, a few blocks away.

“I’m sure people will be coming by for a beer and Weisswurst,” said Eva Matischak, the restaurant owner.

Matischak said rumor has it that Weisswurst — veal sausage — is the pope’s favorite. She tried but failed to stock up on Papst-Bier, or Pope Beer, which features the pontiff on the bottle’s label.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said having the pope visit the city outweighs any possible problems. That includes possible protests over the clergy sex abuse scandal or picketing Catholic school teachers seeking better pay and health benefits, he said. “If there wasn’t a protest, we’d be in the wrong city,” he said. “A major leader is coming to our city — we should get ready.”

 SOURCE: NewsDay.com Read more..

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Papal Visit 2008: Bronx Store Cashes In On Papal Visit

A life-size cutout of Pope Benedict XVI is causing quite a stir on East 187th Street, just days ahead of the real pope’s visit to the city.

The owners of the Mount Carmel Catholic books and gifts store started putting the cut-out outside their store about a month ago, to generate excitement about the pope’s visit and draw customers to purchase pope memorabilia.

“We knew we couldn’t get the pope himself, so we got the second best thing, and it’s been a big hit,” said store owner Richard Janniello.

Neighborhood residents, many of whom will not get to see the pope himself, said they really enjoy the cutout.

“No difference, at least we see him,” said one local resident.

“I think it’s a good idea and it is an honor that he comes to our neighborhood,” said another.

“That’s him right here, can’t be nobody else, and I’m right next to him,” said a third.

The bookstore is selling a wide variety of pope merchandise, including baseball caps, coffee mugs, even something called pope-pourri.

The store’s owners say the items are flying off the shelves, because people want a piece of the Holy Father’s visit.

“Everyone wants to get involved in it, wants to be part of it, and wants to be part of the family, so to speak,” said co-owner Neil Fusco.

Father Terry Messer of the Franciscan Friars for the Renewal says it all comes down to spreading the word about the pope’s arrival.

“Everybody wears t-shirts that say I’ve been everywhere, but if they want to wear a t-shirt that says Pope Benedict XVI then that’s great, you know,” said Messer.

He said the more fanfare surrounding the historic visit this week the better.

SOURCE: NY1 Read more..

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