Cardinal Dolan prays for Pope Francis ahead of trip to Rome

Cardinal Timothy Dolan greets attendees Tuesday at a Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan for Pope Francis, who died Monday at age 88. Credit: SARAH YENESEL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrated a special Mass for the soul of Pope Francis at St. Patrick's Cathedral and then, like so many other New Yorkers on Tuesday, made last-minute plans to fly to Rome.
Demand for flights to Rome from the New York City area surged after the announcement of the pope's death Monday from a stroke at age 88, according to the travel booking app Hopper.
The funeral for Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, is set for 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Peter’s Square in The Vatican, with a viewing starting Wednesday in adjacent St. Peter’s Basilica, The Associated Press reported.
Dolan was scheduled to leave for Rome on Tuesday evening for the pope's funeral and stay for the conclave to choose a successor, said his spokesman Joseph Zwilling.
In a packed St. Patrick’s Cathedral earlier in the day, where Francis himself had kicked off his 2015 visit to New York City, Dolan hailed the late pontiff in his homily as "a troubadour of God's mercy, constantly preaching God's tender mercy for us and encouraging our tender mercy for one another."
“For us, as Catholics, this is a death in the family," Dolan said. "We didn't call him Holy Father for nothing."
In 2013, Dolan joined the other cardinals in electing Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, of Argentina, who took the name Francis in tribute to St. Francis of Assisi.
Among those at the cathedral Tuesday were Mayor Eric Adams; the papal representative at the United Nations, Italian Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia; Bishop James Massa, director of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers; and Archbishop Borys Gudziak, representing the region's Greek Ukrainian Catholic community. The crowd also included Jewish and Islamic leaders, he said.
“What a consolation to have with us leaders of all those ancient creeds,” Dolan said. “For us, children of Abraham, times of tears are smiles, times of loss are gain, times of sadness or joy always become a time of prayer.”
"We praise God, for the gift that Pope Francis was to all of us, a gift to be long savored," Dolan said. "We're grateful to God for what he taught us, by how he lived, and by how he died."
The cardinal referred to the health problems Francis struggled with at the end of his life, including a weekslong hospital stay as he battled double pneumonia. The pope appeared one day on a balcony to greet the faithful below.
On Easter Sunday, Francis came out of his convalescence and made a surprise appearance in St. Peter's Square to bless thousands of people, provoking wild cheers and applause as he rode his popemobile. It was his last public appearance.
The pope was “comfortable enough with us, his family, to let us see his weakness,” Dolan said, “his stumbling in a wheelchair with his oxygen tube, confident enough to let us see his struggle.”
Dolan finished his five-minute homily by quipping, “Now believe me, I could preach a lot longer, but Pope Francis always complained about priests preaching too long. No wonder he was so popular.”
As if to underscore that point, searches for flights to Rome surged 93% compared to last week, according to the Hopper app.
Ellie Breslin, spokesperson Hopper, told Newsday its demand for flights from New York City to Rome surged Monday by 50% compared to the day before, Easter Sunday.
Airfare scheduled this weekend from New York City area airports to Rome averaged $720 per ticket on the app as of Monday, Breslin said in an email.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrated a special Mass for the soul of Pope Francis at St. Patrick's Cathedral and then, like so many other New Yorkers on Tuesday, made last-minute plans to fly to Rome.
Demand for flights to Rome from the New York City area surged after the announcement of the pope's death Monday from a stroke at age 88, according to the travel booking app Hopper.
The funeral for Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, is set for 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Peter’s Square in The Vatican, with a viewing starting Wednesday in adjacent St. Peter’s Basilica, The Associated Press reported.
Dolan was scheduled to leave for Rome on Tuesday evening for the pope's funeral and stay for the conclave to choose a successor, said his spokesman Joseph Zwilling.
In a packed St. Patrick’s Cathedral earlier in the day, where Francis himself had kicked off his 2015 visit to New York City, Dolan hailed the late pontiff in his homily as "a troubadour of God's mercy, constantly preaching God's tender mercy for us and encouraging our tender mercy for one another."
“For us, as Catholics, this is a death in the family," Dolan said. "We didn't call him Holy Father for nothing."
In 2013, Dolan joined the other cardinals in electing Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, of Argentina, who took the name Francis in tribute to St. Francis of Assisi.
Among those at the cathedral Tuesday were Mayor Eric Adams; the papal representative at the United Nations, Italian Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia; Bishop James Massa, director of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers; and Archbishop Borys Gudziak, representing the region's Greek Ukrainian Catholic community. The crowd also included Jewish and Islamic leaders, he said.
“What a consolation to have with us leaders of all those ancient creeds,” Dolan said. “For us, children of Abraham, times of tears are smiles, times of loss are gain, times of sadness or joy always become a time of prayer.”
"We praise God, for the gift that Pope Francis was to all of us, a gift to be long savored," Dolan said. "We're grateful to God for what he taught us, by how he lived, and by how he died."
The cardinal referred to the health problems Francis struggled with at the end of his life, including a weekslong hospital stay as he battled double pneumonia. The pope appeared one day on a balcony to greet the faithful below.
On Easter Sunday, Francis came out of his convalescence and made a surprise appearance in St. Peter's Square to bless thousands of people, provoking wild cheers and applause as he rode his popemobile. It was his last public appearance.
The pope was “comfortable enough with us, his family, to let us see his weakness,” Dolan said, “his stumbling in a wheelchair with his oxygen tube, confident enough to let us see his struggle.”
Dolan finished his five-minute homily by quipping, “Now believe me, I could preach a lot longer, but Pope Francis always complained about priests preaching too long. No wonder he was so popular.”
As if to underscore that point, searches for flights to Rome surged 93% compared to last week, according to the Hopper app.
Ellie Breslin, spokesperson Hopper, told Newsday its demand for flights from New York City to Rome surged Monday by 50% compared to the day before, Easter Sunday.
Airfare scheduled this weekend from New York City area airports to Rome averaged $720 per ticket on the app as of Monday, Breslin said in an email.
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