80,000 Greet Pope Francis In Central Park

USA Today reports:



Pope Francis cruised through Central Park early Friday evening to the cheers of tens of thousands who stood in line at security checkpoints for hours to enter the site. Waving to the cheering crowds, Pope Francis’ motorcade made its way from 72nd Street down to near 59th Street as he passed through on his way from Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem to Madison Square Garden, where he’ll celebrate Mass. Security was tight, with dozens of police vehicles and uniformed officers walking alongside the white “popemobile” — a Jeep Wrangler partly outfitted with bullet-proof glass. Some 80,000 people won lottery tickets to see the short 20-minute procession. Shortly before his arrival, many remained stuck outside the park as massive bottlenecks caused frustration for many. In a bit of a papal miracle, it appeared everyone in line made it inside the site before the motorcade started.