What kind of New York will Pope Francis find?

My colleague Tom McDonald writes about that in the National Catholic Register: 

When Pope Francis lands at Kennedy International Airport, it will be the first papal visit to New York since Benedict spent three days there in April 2008.

What kind of New York will he find?

Deacon Greg Kandra of the Diocese of Brooklyn says he will find a warm welcome: “You’d be hard-pressed to find [a Catholic] in New York City who doesn’t adore this Pope,” said the popular blogger. “I hear it all the time from believers and nonbelievers, who tell me, without prompting, ‘I love this Pope.’ It’s a cliché to call him a ‘rock star,’ but let’s be honest: He is a rock star — and someone both familiar and new. I think he’s offering the world a slice of Catholicism that is often overlooked: Beyond the rules and the tradition, beyond the theology and the history and the hierarchy, there is hope.”

As Deacon Kandra observes, in Brooklyn, the Mass is celebrated in 33 languages. The diocese also boasts 28 ethnic apostolates. “You hear everything here — and it’s all jubilantly, proudly, faithfully Catholic.”

…“This city — and our country — is in great psychological distress and in deep moral decay,” says New York attorney and Catholic Tom Zampino. “And we don’t even have a clue. Francis, with his simple, warm, direct, humble — yet blunt — style, more than anyone else, understands how to speak to these failings, break through the social-media clutter and provide the spark that might finally light the fuse of recognition.”

As Deacon Kandra observed, “He’ll be encountering a city that is a microcosm for the rest of the country — polarized, weary, restless, wildly diverse. But it’s a city that has survived and prevailed — in my lifetime alone, it’s dealt with terror attacks, blackouts, race riots, recessions, superstorms and tornados.

“The fact is: New York tends to be a city not easily impressed, but it makes an exception for war heroes, astronauts, championship sports teams and popes — basically anyone who can attract a big crowd or cause a parade. In its heart, it’s a great city that appreciates greatness — along with passion, resilience and an effervescent joy. And Francis has that. I suspect New Yorkers of every faith, and no faith, will welcome him as one of our own.”

Read more. 

Photo: Wikipedia