Pope Francis’s recently concluded visit to New York felt, at times, like the famous encounter between the Prophet Elijah and God, on Mount Horeb: “And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord.” There were traffic jams along Madison Avenue, delays on the C train, Citi Bike deactivations in midtown, throngs of twenty thousand around Madison Square Garden and eighty thousand in Central Park, Francis-themed T-shirts for sale outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and other excitements. The photographer Jonno Rattman recorded some of the commotion, along with more sombre scenes at the 9/11 memorial museum, as the Pope passed by.
Goings On
What we’re watching, listening to, and doing this week, online, in N.Y.C., and beyond. Paid subscribers also receive book picks.
Daily Comment
The Vatican’s Statement on Gender Is Unsurprising, and a Missed Opportunity
A new document that strives to reconsider matters of human dignity nevertheless echoes Church rhetoric from decades ago.
By Paul Elie