File photo of Pope Francis
New York:
Pope Francis on Saturday flew over the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the onetime gateway to America for millions of immigrants, by helicopter before leaving New York - and was reportedly 'very moved' by the experience.
"As we circled Ellis Island, as we circled the Statue of Liberty, I could see he was very 'commosso' - as the Italians say, very moved," CBS Radio quoted Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was with the pope, as saying.
The impromptu tour came as the 78-year-old pontiff headed by helicopter to New York's John F. Kennedy airport for his flight to Philadelphia.
Francis, the son of Italian immigrants who moved to Argentina, specifically asked the helicopter pilot to make the slight detour over New York Harbor.
Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said Francis had noted that Buenos Aires was "a city of immigrants too."
"As we circled Ellis Island, as we circled the Statue of Liberty, I could see he was very 'commosso' - as the Italians say, very moved," CBS Radio quoted Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was with the pope, as saying.
The impromptu tour came as the 78-year-old pontiff headed by helicopter to New York's John F. Kennedy airport for his flight to Philadelphia.
Francis, the son of Italian immigrants who moved to Argentina, specifically asked the helicopter pilot to make the slight detour over New York Harbor.
Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said Francis had noted that Buenos Aires was "a city of immigrants too."
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