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Pope Francis will be the fourth pope to visit the archdiocese.
Pope Benedict XVI was the most recent to travel to the archdiocese, visiting just seven years ago in April 2008. Among the events he undertook were an address to the United Nations and an ecumenical service. He became the first pontiff to celebrate Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, for priests, deacons and religious, and visited St. Joseph’s Church in Yorkville where he prayed with other religious leaders. He also made an informal visit to Park East Synagogue in Manhattan.
In a moving moment, he visited Ground Zero where he prayed for those who perished in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and met with families of victims.
He tenderly blessed children with disabilities and their parents and caregivers in the chapel at St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, before taking the stage at a large Youth Rally outside on seminary grounds where cheers of “We love B-16!” roared through the crowd.
He joyfully told the thousands of young people gathered: “You are Christ’s disciples today. Shine His light upon this great city and beyond. Show the world the reason for the hope that resonates within you. Tell others about the truth that sets you free.”
Pope Benedict’s trip ended with the celebration of Mass at a packed Yankee Stadium.
St. John Paul II visited two times during his papacy. His first visit was in October 1979.
The beloved Polish-born pope came in October 1979 where he too addressed world leaders at the United Nations.
During his first time in the archdiocese, Pope John Paul II passed St. Charles Borromeo Church in Harlem and a low-income housing development in the South Bronx.
His fame followed him down Broadway as people cheered for him as he made his way to Battery Park for a speech; and again they cheered for him at a youth rally at Madison Square Garden.
His visit ended with a Mass at Yankee Stadium and a prayer service at Shea Stadium in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
St. John Paul II, who was canonized by Pope Francis last year, came to New York for the second time in October 1995.
More popular than ever, the Polish pope drew bigger crowds and louder cheers.
He addressed the United Nations and met with seminarians for a vespers service at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. He met with ecumenical leaders and prayed the Rosary in St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The highlight of the visit was a Mass at Central Park, with 130,000 people who chanted, “John Paul II, we love you!” when he arrived.
Blessed Pope Paul VI became the first pontiff to visit New York, and the United States, for that matter, in 1965 during a whirlwind 14-hour trip on Oct. 4. During that time, he addressed the United Nations, as has each pope who followed him. During that address, he said the high point of his message was: “Never one against the other, never, never again. Was it not principally for this purpose that the United Nations came into being: against war and for peace?”
In that time he visited with then-President Lyndon B. Johnson at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan.
He stopped by Holy Family Church, the United Nations parish, and led an ecumenical meeting there. He went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral to offer Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and celebrated an evening Mass at Yankee Stadium.
