Pope Francis is addressing world leaders Friday at the United Nations in New York, where he is expected expected to call for international action and cooperation to combat climate change and poverty and to help refugees fleeing conflict.
The General Assembly speech begins a hectic schedule for the 78-year-old pontiff on the fourth day of his visit to the United States.
WATCH: U.N. Live Feed of Pope Francis
After addressing the heads of state, prime ministers and ambassadors, the pope will join in a multi-faith service at the National September 11 Memorial, where the World Trade Center once stood. He also will visit a Roman Catholic elementary school in the heavily Hispanic and black neighborhood of East Harlem, and greet tens of thousands of people during a drive through New York’s Central Park.
Then the pontiff, 78, is scheduled to join in a multi-faith service at the National September 11 Memorial, where the World Trade Center once stood. He’ll visit a Catholic elementary school in the heavily Hispanic and black neighborhood of East Harlem. He’ll follow that with a drive through Central Park, where spectators already are jockeying for position. In the evening, he will celebrate Mass at Madison Square Garden before an estimated 20,000 worshipers, and will sit on a chair built primarily by day laborers.
Climate change, migration
Climate change, migration and immigration were central themes when the pope addressed a joint meeting of Congress in Washington Thursday.
Rich nations have a moral obligation to aid the vulnerable, Francis suggested in discussing “the creation and distribution of wealth.”
“The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements” of an inclusive, sustainable economy, he continued.
Referencing his recent encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, Francis called for “a courageous and responsible effort to ‘redirect our steps’ … and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity.”
He also urged compassion, not hostility, in coping with the worst refugee crisis since World War II.
“We must not be taken aback by [migrants’] numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation – to respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal,” he told Congress.
Praise for nuns
Francis flew late Thursday afternoon from Washington to New York, where he began his visit to the nation’s financial center with a prayer service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on posh Fifth Avenue.
There, he gave a special shout-out to American nuns, offering his “esteem and gratitude.”
Calling them “women of strength, fighters, with that spirit of courage which puts you on the front lines in the proclamation of the Gospel,” Francis said he wished “to say thank you, a big thank you… and to tell you that I love you very much.”
His remarks, which drew a standing ovation from some of the nuns in the cathedral, further distanced Francis’ pastoral approach from his predecessor’s emphasis on strict adherence to church doctrine.
The main group representing American nuns, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, had been the subject of a seven-year Vatican investigation over accusations that it had overemphasized social justice work and pushed “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”
The Vatican and LCWR resolved their differences in April, and Francis met with four of its leaders in Rome.
At St. Patrick’s, Francis also offered support and encouragement to priests and bishops.
Schedule
The pope plans to leave New York Saturday morning for two days in Philadelphia, his final U.S. stop.
There, he’ll attend the Vatican-sponsored World Meeting of Families and, on Sunday, will celebrate an outdoor Mass expected to draw nearly 2 million people.
