pope in new york “ in big cities , ” francis said .
( theodore parisienne for new york daily news ) near the end of the mass , thunderous applause echoed through the hall when timothy cardinal dolan stood new york ( afp ) - pope francis on friday visited the 911 memorial in new york , where he prayed and laid a white rose at one of the reflecting pools , before he is to lead a multi - faith service for peace .
they are the foreigners , their children who go without school , those deprived medical insurance , the homeless , the forgotten elderly .
( justin sullivan getty images ) still flanked by the heavy security that has been with him every step of the way since he got to gotham , francis rides through central park .
the 78 - year - old argentine pontiff clasped his hands together and bowed his head in prayer at one of the two reflecting pools built in tribute to the worst terror attack on us soil .
god , he said , “ frees us from anonymity , from a life of emptiness and selfishness .
the memorial is dedicated to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the september 11 , 2001 attacks and six victims of a first attack on the twin towers in 1993 .
the 24,000 worshippers packing madison square garden did something that ’s not usually done at masses — they burst into applause .
the memorial occupies eight of the 16 acres on the world trade center site , where the twin towers were destroyed in the al - qaeda attacks that killed 2,753 people .