Pope Francis leads mass at Madison Square Garden

Leading a gathering of 700 at the site of Ground Zero, the pope paid tribute to the almost 3,000 victims and those who responded to the worst attacks on U.S. soil that killed almost 3,000 people on September 11, 2001.

Pope Francis spent a busy day in New York on Friday, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, traveling to the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, visiting a school, making a procession through Central Park and then celebrating Mass at Madison Square Garden.

Hoping to spur concrete commitments at upcoming climate change negotiations in Paris, Francis accused the world’s powerful countries of indulging a “selfish and boundless thirst” for money by ravaging the planet’s natural resources and impoverishing the weak and disadvantaged in the process.

Francis appealed for peace around the world and made his latest plea for the protection of Christians, as well as others, persecuted by extremists in Syria and Iraq.

Two years into his papacy, Francis has won the admiration of many in the United States, with liberals captivated by his focus on meeting the needs of the poor, immigrants and the homeless.

Crowds packed sidewalks near the school, which the pope has held up as an example of the future of the Catholic Church.

Francis was greeted on his arrival at the U.N.by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a key supporter of his eco-friendly message. The “Pope Selfie” app lets users choose from several different poses to create their flawless papal pic.

“You are at home not in palaces, but among the poor; not with the famous, but with the forgotten; not in official portraits, but in selfies with young people”, he said. Also on hand were German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Bill and Melinda Gates. “We grew up with this idea that the Pope is separate from us, and that’s changing with Francis”.

Francis spoke to the UN General Assembly Friday morning.

When after his speech, Francis asked the congregation to perform for him once more, the women present rose to the occasion, offering a moving song in a native African tongue and another in Spanish.

Elizabeth Ndjakmo, 41, of the Cayman Islands, said the Pope’s comments about religious freedom, global warming and immigration merited attention long after his 39-hour drop-in came to a close.

Moving into the underground memorial museum, he joined a rabbi, an imam and other faith leaders to pray for peace.

A brass band from a Catholic high school greeted his plane with the classic tune “New York, New York“, and the pope accepted flowers from the crowd of about 200 at the airport. He apologized for not being at the Mass in person, but said he had promised CBS that he would “do (his) new talk show every night”.

Sister Gertrude Lily of the Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary says she’s “very grateful for him recognizing that we, too, are disciples of the Lord”. “We’ve felt a little bit estranged from the church, but we’re feeling more hopeful”.

“I think I will feel like this forever”, he said. “I feel like I’m part of the community again”.

First on the agenda was a visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School, set amid public housing in the heavily Hispanic neighborhood of East Harlem.