NEW YORK (AP) — Latest developments in Pope Francis' visit to the United States. All times local:
9:50 p.m.
Nuns who heard Pope Francis' strong message of support and thanks for their work are exuberant about his praise, which comes after a trying time for U.S. religious sisters.
Sister Gertrude Lily of the Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary says she's "very grateful for him recognizing that we, too, are disciples of the Lord."
Speaking at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Francis described nuns as "women of strength" and "fighters" who had a "spirit of courage" as they served at the forefront of the church.
His words held enormous significance for U.S. sisters. They had been the subject of Vatican investigations under his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican offices that guard orthodoxy had accused the group of straying broadly from church teaching. The nuns denied it.
Sister Mary Alice Kizita Otoo of the Handmaids of the Divine Redeemer of Accra also was at St. Patrick's to hear the pope speak. She says nuns appreciate that the pope is talking about their good works, and he has inspired her "to yearn to be there more for the poor."
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9:20 p.m.
The priest who gave Pope Francis a blessing before the first-ever papal address to Congress had no expectation he would even be asked.
That's according to the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. He says the Rev. Patrick Conroy was excited just to meet the pope and didn't anticipate that Francis would ask him for his blessing.
Conroy is the Catholic chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives. He placed his hands on Francis' head, which was bowed in prayer.
Francis often asks other clergy to bless him and constantly asks the faithful to pray for him.
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9:10 p.m.
While Pope Francis' remarks at a prayer service at St. Patrick's Cathedral were reflections on the life of the church, plenty of those involved in the workings of the state were on hand for his first stop in New York City.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (KWOH'-moh), Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH'-zee-oh), and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (SHOO'-mur) were among them.
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump wasn't at the service but watched from a balcony in nearby Trump Tower as the pontiff's motorcade drove by.
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8:30 p.m.
Pope Francis has left St. Patrick's Cathedral after consoling priests for having to "bear the shame" of the clergy sex-abuse scandal, thanking America's nuns and offering a prayer for Muslims killed in the hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia.
The pope's remarks — his first in New York City — came during evening prayers at the cathedral.
The pontiff gradually made his way out, shaking hands with nuns and others, blessing a girl and a boy who was passed through the crowd by his father. Then he got in his Fiat, waved to the crowds still gathered outside and drove off.
As Francis rests ahead of a packed day, he's expected to stay at the home of the Vatican's ambassador to the United Nations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza.
The pope's schedule Friday includes addressing world leaders at the United Nations, participating in an interfaith service at the Sept. 11 memorial museum, visiting a school and taking a processional drive through Central Park. He will celebrate Mass at Madison Square Garden.
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7:45 p.m.
Pope Francis has made his strongest expression yet of respect and gratitude for American nuns during a prayer service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
Francis described religious sisters as "women of strength" and "fighters" who had a "spirit of courage" as they served at the forefront of the church. He said he wanted to offer "a big thank-you and to tell you that I love you very much."
Nuns in the pews erupted in applause on hearing the pope's words. They held enormous significance for U.S. sisters, who had been the subject of Vatican investigations under his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
The Vatican offices that guards orthodoxy had ordered an overhaul of the largest umbrella group for U.S. sisters, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, accusing the group of straying broadly from church teaching, which the nuns denied.
The investigation prompted a nationwide outpouring on behalf of the nuns and a backlash against the Vatican and U.S. bishops. Francis ended the overhaul process this year, nearly two years ahead of schedule, with no major changes for the sisters' association and his thanks for their work.
The remarks were his second major gesture in support of nuns on the U.S. trip so far. In Washington on Wednesday, he paid a surprise visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious order that runs homes for poor senior citizens. The religious order is suing the Obama administration.
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7:40 p.m.
The pope has again raised the clergy sex-abuse crisis, by consoling clergy for the suffering the scandal had caused them.
Francis told members of religious orders and diocesan priests he was aware they had "suffered greatly" by having to "bear the shame" of clergy who had molested children. He thanked them for their faithful service to the church in the face of the scandal.
The pope made the comments at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. He made similar comments in an address to bishops Wednesday in Washington.
The comments have angered advocates for victims, who say American bishops only took decisive action to stop perpetrators when lawsuits and government investigations revealed documents that showed the scope of the problem. The abuse crisis erupted in 2002 with the case of one pedophile priest in the Archdiocese of Boston, then spread across the country and overseas.
A Vatican spokesman defended the pope's remarks, saying it was appropriate to recognize the bishops' extensive reforms over more than a decade in response to the scandal.
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7:20 p.m.
Pope Francis has expressed his solidarity with Muslims following the hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia, where more than 700 people were killed.
Francis opened his visit to New York by offering a prayer for the victims from the altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Francis said he wanted to offer a "sentiment of closeness in light of the tragedy" that the Muslim people had suffered on Thursday.
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7:15 p.m.
Pope Francis is praying vespers — the formal term for evening prayers — at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Members of the clergy and religious orders have filled the grand, gothic-style cathedral for the service.
As Francis made his way down the long central aisle to the altar, he occasionally stopped to greet people in the pews, including a a girl in a wheelchair and a mother holding a baby.
The girl wiped at her eyes, as if to whisk away tears, after he blessed her.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and other elected officials are attending the service.
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6:50 p.m.
Pope Francis has arrived at St. Patrick's Cathedral to begin his New York visit with evening prayers at one of the nation's best-known churches.
Thousands of people lined up along Fifth Avenue to greet him with cheers as he made his way in his open-sided popemobile to the center of one of the nation's largest Roman Catholic archdioceses.
The cathedral's bells pealed as Francis waved to and blessed the crowd, even giving the occasional thumbs-up.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and other dignitaries greeted him on the cathedral steps.
The 136-year-old cathedral just underwent a three-year, $175 million restoration, the most extensive work there in decades.
About 5 million people visit St. Patrick's each year.
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6:25 p.m.
A disabled 12-year-old girl and her family say she has new hope after Pope Francis blessed her as he arrived in New York City.
Julia Buzzese (boo-SAY'-zee) sat in her wheelchair as her family eagerly waited for Francis at John F. Kennedy Airport, hoping the pope they admire would bless her.
As he greeted the crowd of about 200, he walked over to Julia. She and her mother, Josephine, asked him to bless her. He put his hands on her forehead, nodded and gave her his blessing.
Julia says it made her "so happy." She says she thinks it will make her feel better.
Julia abruptly became unable to walk in May. Her mother says doctors have been unable to determine what is wrong with her.
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6:05 p.m.
Pope Francis has arrived in Manhattan by helicopter and hopped into a Fiat hatchback, traveling in the same modest style as he did in Washington.
The military helicopter touched down at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport near Wall Street after a short flight from John F. Kennedy Airport. He landed there after flying in from Washington.
Francis is headed to St. Patrick's Cathedral for evening prayers in a charcoal gray, four-door Fiat 500L with a yellow papal flag on the hood.
The pope has eschewed limousines on his U.S. trip in favor of far smaller, Italian-made Fiats.
In general, he has made a point of traveling in modest cars, as part of his emphasis on simplicity and rejecting consumerism.
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5:45 p.m.
Pope Francis is en route to Manhattan by helicopter after arriving at New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport.
As he boarded the military helicopter, he gave a final wave to the invited crowd of 200 that had gathered to greet him when he flew in from Washington.
The pope dispensed Mass cards, handshakes and some hugs to the cheering onlookers.
Francis is flying to the Downtown Manhattan Heliport near Wall Street in the helicopter, built by Sikorsky Aircraft.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is aboard. The two are headed to St. Patrick's Cathedral for evening prayers.
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5:35 p.m.
A crowd of 200 people is cheering and waving hand-held Vatican flags as a smiling Pope Francis arrives at New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport.
Francis doffed his skullcap in the breeze as he made his way down the plane's stairs after flying in from Washington.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York gave Francis a hug and a kiss as the pope stepped onto the tarmac, and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzo of Brooklyn greeted him with a warm handshake.
A high-school band played "New York, New York" as Francis made his way to the crowd, where Catholic schoolchildren were waiting to present him with a bouquet and a collection of prayers written by students in the city's 86 Catholic schools.
He's handing out Mass cards, giving hugs and speaking with onlookers as people take cellphone photos.
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5:10 p.m.
Pope Francis has landed in New York City to begin a visit that will take him from the United Nations to a school that sits amid public housing in East Harlem.
His chartered American Airlines plane has touched down at John F. Kennedy Airport, bringing the pontiff to the United States' largest city.
The 200-person welcoming party includes Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and five Catholic schoolchildren. It's the first papal trip to New York since Pope Benedict XVI visited in April 2008.
Francis is headed first to St. Patrick's Cathedral for Thursday evening prayers.
Earlier Thursday, he gave the first-ever papal speech to the U.S. Congress, urging lawmakers to treat immigrants "in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal."
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4:55 p.m.
Pope Francis is on his way to New York City, and about 200 people have gathered to welcome him at the airport.
Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, five Catholic schoolchildren and other guests gathered at John F. Kennedy Airport as snipers stood atop police vehicles. Law enforcement officers also are doing security sweeps of arriving planes.
Brooklyn Diocese spokeswoman Rocio Fidalgo says the five students were chosen based on their academic performance and attendance at Mass.
Francis is headed to the United States' biggest city after three days in Washington. He gave the first-ever papal speech to the U.S. Congress on Thursday morning, urging lawmakers to treat immigrants "in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal."
It's the first papal trip to New York since Pope Benedict XVI visited in April 2008.
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4:45 p.m.
Some 450 students from Catholic schools and religious education programs joined Secretary of State John Kerry and hundreds of military members and their families in giving Pope Francis a warm send-off from Washington.
The pope is now on his way to New York. As he neared the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base, the students chanted: "We love Francis, yes we do. We love Francis, how 'bout you?"
The pope spoke with Kerry and his wife for about five minutes before walking up the stairs to his plane, turning to the crowd and waving goodbye.
The Secret Service and some journalists stuck around after Francis' plane left. They are awaiting Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival less than an hour later for two days of meetings in Washington.
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