At Sept. 11 Memorial, Pope Francis Says 'Grief is Palpable'

By Laura Wagner

Published September 25, 2015 at 3:46 PM CDT

Pope Francis places a white rose at the South Pool of the Sept. 11 memorial in downtown Manhattan on Friday.

Pope Francis' second day in New York continues with a visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem, followed by a motorcade ride through central park at 5 p.m. Afterwards, he will celebrate a mass at 6 p.m. in Madison Square Garden.

Earlier in the day, the pontiff addressed the United Nations General Assembly, advising the assembled global leaders to put humanity before partisan interests.

Then, in what many are calling the most poignant moment of his U.S. tour, he prayed at a multi-faith ceremony at the Sept. 11 memorial at the World Trade Center.

"Here grief is palpable," Francis said, according to Reuters, as he looked into the pools at Ground Zero.

Pope Francis and Cardinal Timothy Dolan (left) pray for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"In opposing every attempt to create a rigid uniformity, we can and must build unity on the basis of our diversity of languages, cultures and religions," he said, as leaders from the Jewish, Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Hindu and other faiths sat behind him.

You can watch his full remarks here.