Pope Francis joins families of 9/11 victims in New York

Pope Francis delivered a heartfelt speech at the Foundation Hall in New York, U.S., on Friday after a poignant meeting with 20 family members of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. He said a sincere prayer in their remembrance at the Memorial and condemned the mindset that only recognises violence, before driving past scores of people at the Central Park.

The pontiff addressed a gathering of 700 people at Ground Zero to pay respects to around 3,000 victims of the brutal attack that stunned the world 14 years ago.

“A few moments ago, I met some of the families of the fallen first responders. Meeting them made me see once again how acts of destruction are never impersonal, abstract or merely material,” the New York Post quoted him as saying. “They always have a face, a concrete story, names. In those family members, we see the face of pain, a pain which still touches us and cries out to heaven.”

Monica Iken-Murphy, who lost her husband to the attacks, said, “this is where loved ones lost their lives, and this is the way we are going to honour them by having someone who is holy, closest to God, Pope Francis, come here and bless this site. I couldn’t be prouder to share this memorial and museum with him.”

In the sombre moment of remembrance, the pope was joined by Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the leaders of the many other faiths that co-exists in the region.

“In this place of pain and remembrance, I am full of hope,” Sky News quoted the 78-year-old pontiff as saying. “I hope our presence here sends a powerful sign of our wish to share and reaffirm the wish to be forces of reconciliation, forces of peace, of justice.”

The pope placed a white rose at one of the fountains in commemoration of the twin towers, while others offered and sang prayers. Earlier on the same day, he also paid a visit to the UN General Assembly to offer enlightenment on a better world.

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