Pope Mania On Fifth Avenue
Pope Benedict XVI holds a mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and greets thousands of pumped up spectators during a Popemobile motorcade.
Just before 5 a.m. 20 Hispanic Catholics of St. Raphael Parish in Bridgeport, Conn., secured a prime spot on the south side of Fifth Ave. between 55th St. and 56th St. for a chance of a lifetime.
“It will bring such joy to my life to see him,” said Victor Cacho. “It’s my first time seeing one. I didn’t get the opportunity when Pablo (Pope John Paul II) was around.”
Thousands of worshipers descended on New York on Saturday in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI, who celebrated his third anniversary on the job with a mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and a Popemobile motorcade along Fifth Ave.
“We need this to make our faith stronger,” said Cacho, 31, as he tied a Mexican flag to the police barricades. “Benedict is new. So far I like him, but with this opportunity to see him, maybe, I am going to love him.”
While many early spectators curled up in tents, blankets, or right on the cold pavement to catch some rest, others drank coffee and poured out their hopes for the upcoming papal appearance.
“We need to show Pope Benedict that New York is Catholic and strong,” said Dorothy Kowalczyk, 40, of St. Adalbert Parish in Elizabeth, N.J. “John Paul II was the best, but now Benedict is winning our hearts with his speeches about family values and religious education.”
The late Pope John Paul II, who was of Polish origin, reigned for almost 27 years, during which he expanded his flock and the appeal of Catholicism, especially among young people, through public appearances and media outreach. He toured the U.S. seven times, including two visits to New York City.
But a study by the non-profit Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life said that many Catholics in the U.S. are changing their religion for another or no religion at all. While many strayed away, Kowalczyk remained a firm believer.
“We are half-Polish half-American, but we are Catholic a hundred percent,” she said, as her daughter Eva Kowalczyk, 11, looked on. “I love Benedict because of his directness and because he speaks Polish fluently.”
While sidewalks along Fifth Avenue from 52nd St. to 72nd St. were open to the public to view the motorcade, the Archdiocese of New York had reserved the steps of the cathedral and the surrounding sidewalks for 5,000 clergy members and spectators, who won their spots in an online ticket lottery in the week prior to the historic papal visit, which began last Tuesday in Washington, D.C. . After more than two hours in line, the ticket holders had to endure a police check and then entered the special zone at 8:30 a.m. Despite the tight security, many spectators brought in water and refreshments as well as posters, all forbidden items for this event.
“I don’t think that the Pope wants to see posters, he wants to see people,” said Evelyn Murphy, 56, of Bradley Beach, N.J. “It’s so crowded and when people put this posters up, you can’t see anything.”
Few were able to spot Pope Benedict as he climbed up the cathedral’s steps. A large screen at 51st St. broadcast his every step, including meeting Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the two-and-a-half-hour mass that followed. People strained to hear his words as police helicopters hovered above and street cleaning vehicles roamed around. Despite the noise and the tight quarters, many spectators sang hymns along with the church choir, prayed as the pope read from the Bible, and kneeled as the mass came to a close.
“He is very inspiring to me,” said Sharon Colandron, 37, of Bethlehem, Pa., who was there with her husband, Anthony Colandron and their two young children. “He is so courageous – talking to the abused victims, praying at Ground Zero, meeting with the rabbi at that synagogue. I am so proud of his stance on all this issues.”
On several occasions during his visit, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the sexual abuse of children by priests and consoled some of the victims. Many agreed that his response to this soar subject for the Roman Catholic Church was a breakthrough moment.
“It is definitely a feat for Catholicism and for him as a leader to stand up and recognize the abuses,” said Jennifer Soltes, 23, of Bergen County, N.J. “I am also very excited that he is going to Ground Zero because my dad worked there, and this is really important to me.”
Some worshipers offered an alternative interpretation to the pope’s words, looking not at their meaning but at their language.
“The most important thing in his visit is that he speaks more in Spanish,” said Father Benedict Aguilar of Legion of Christ. “It comes to show you that U.S. is important to him. Europe is lost – faith has dropped a lot there. So, by speaking Spanish he shows his respect to Latin America, Mexico and to the U.S.” About 28 percent of the U.S. population speak Spanish, according to a government census.
While the pope retired for lunch after the mass, the crowd grew restless over sighting the Popemobile, which some described as a “cocoon” and a “space-bubble.” People craned their necks to get the first peak, chanted the pope’s name and clapped, urging him to appear. At 1:23 p.m. the white Mercedes, modified to incorporate a small glass room for the pope and two other passengers, started crawling uptown.
The crowd erupted.
“I see him, I saw him,” screamed Jose Ramirez. “My heart is going to explode. I feel blessed. I never thought that this will happen to me.” He held his face in disbelief, looking up and, then, back to the place where the Popemobile went by.