2:18: I’ve always wanted to see the Popemobile. But as the pope passed by to applause and cheers of “Benedicto! Benedicto! Benedicto!” I couldn’t help but feel a little sad. It’s unfortunate that bulletproof glass is a necessary evil for a man who says he’s on a mission to spread peace.

12:35: I grew up going to church every Sunday. Mom and Dad would get the four of us kids dressed up for the 10 a.m. mass. If we were lucky they’d buy us doughnuts from the CYO afterward.

I am not a regular churchgoer now, but the mass is still very familiar to me. There is such uniformity that no matter where in the world you are, if you find yourself in a Catholic mass, you can’t help but feel like you’re home.

It was like that for me today while sitting outside St Patrick’s Cathedral, observing, as part of the media. Audio of the pope saying mass was pumped out through speakers, so I was able to follow along while working.

Throughout it, I heard certain cues and knew when it was time to kneel, stand or make the sign of the cross. But nothing struck me more than when it was time for the sign of peace. I instinctively looked to my left and right to shake someone’s hand and say, “Peace be with you.” I’ve always felt there is something very energizing about that part of the mass, as you hug and kiss your family and shake the hands of any stranger within reach.

I saw that energy in the faces of all the faithful lined up outside of the Cathedral, listening to the mass they know so well … just like me.

8:13 am: Some of us in the media have been here since 3 p.m. yesterday and all through the night, preparing for the pope’s arrival at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Thousands of people are lined up for blocks to catch a glimpse of the pope — Bill Hemmer and the rest of us crew have a front row seat.

The bishops who will be attending the mass just arrived.

What whirlwind trip the Holy Father is making through the United States.

A two-city tour seems more like a 20 city extravaganza. As I mentioned before the pope seems to be revealing a different side, with this effervescent personality that’s emerging. As Greg Burke so aptly put, the pontiff is having his “John Paul moments”! In fact, it’s more than a moment. Kissing babies, waving to the crowds, skirting the secret service to shake a few hands … it’s amazing.

But all that has not stopped the pope from making some very surprising and serious gestures. Yesterday he secretly met with three victims of priest sexual abuse. The meeting was so secret, the press person from the Boston Archdiocese didn’t find out till 2 a.m. of the day it happened (the victims were all from the Boston area). The Washington Archdiocese and USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops) press persons found out from the news reports after Father Lombardi, the Vatican spokesperson, gave a couple of interviews. There were print photographers at the papal nuncio’s residents waiting for the pope to head out to another planned event, and didn’t know that the folks entering casually in the afternoon, were abuse victims getting a private meeting with the Holy Father! Amazing!

But it just shows us that the unprecedented frankness and openness with which Pope Benedict began on the flight over, was no accident. In fact I’ve been told the pope himself asked to meet with victims. Now other reports say Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley pressured the pontiff or at least urged him to meet with victims. So we may never know for sure. But I can speculate that because Pope Benedict, as Cardinal Ratzinger and the Vatican’s chief theologian, and saw hundreds, if not thousands, of these cases come ac cross his desk over the years, he would have a much more personal connection to the cases than John Paul II. In fact it was Cardinal Ratzinger who was responsible for adding sexual sins against minors, to the list of grievous sins that could be committed by a priest.

And, yes, the church didn’t do enough and responded too slowly or not at all. But Cardinal William Levada, who is now the vatican’s chief theologian and an American, said this afternoon at TIME Magazine luncheon, that if the majority of bishops in charge had known what they know now , “they would have acted differently”. Let’s hope so.

For no at least, it seems the tide has changed and the abuse scandal will not be swept away, allowing for the healing truly to begin.

Secret service, NYPD, undercover agents.. they are everywhere outside St. Joseph’s Church in Yorkville.

I am sitting right across the street behind metal barricades along with many other reporters and cameramen anticipating the pope’s arrival later this afternoon. It is a very warm day here in New York, and the sun is beating down on the concrete – which is making it feel like we are all sitting in a ceramic kiln.

All eyes are pointed to the sky, watching for the sun to make it’s way past the top of the Church’s building to create more shade.

The excitement for the pope’s arrival is tangible. Many curious people are standing at the end of the barricaded block craning their necks as they try to eyeball the action… which really hasn’t started yet.

The pope is still hours away from arrival, but security is extremely tight. We aren’t allowed to move beyond our designated few feet outlined by the Secret Service — in fact, I just got yelled at for trying to get close to the barricade at the end of the block so I could take pictures of the people hanging over the metal gates. So, with that, I give you the only pictures I have been able to take so far.

New York’s Cardinal Edward Egan just showed up just a few minutes ago….

our camera man Tommy Chiu is ready for action,

And, no doubt recognize this person, my new friend – Dari Alexander, New York Fox 5, 6 p.m. anchor, we are using the steps of a walk up apartment right now as a working office!

Update: 6pm The Pope is here — and his followers are elated. This is the first Christian event for the Pope in New York, as he meets Protestant and Orthodox and Catholic leaders. Pope Benedict has said that he believes that there is too much division among Christian religions.. and that he hopes that he can help bring everyone closer together with a common understanding with his visit.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for this mother to have the Pope walk up and kiss her child as he entered the Church? Unbelievable, of course. Her name is Amy Carillo and that is her daughter Ashley who turns 8 months old tomorrow… what a gift.

With a huge day behind him, the Pope was off with his Papal entourage into the New York night, to meet up with a group of U. S. Cardinals and advisers for a special dinner, and I’m sure some much needed rest. Tomorrow, it’s off to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, followed by a “Popemobile Parade”, and a visit to St. Joseph’s Seminary where we will be bringing you more live reports

Stay tuned!

We begin live coverage at 10:45am today of Pope Benedict’s speech to the General Assembly of the United Nations. This speech was the original purpose for the Pope’s visit to the United States and its importance cannot be overstated. He has spent long hours preparing his talk and every word will be his own.

The visit to the U.N. coincides with the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. You can read it here – the whole document is there.  It is short and to the point and in my opinion it is the most important international document ever to have been signed. After the horrors of World War II, the General Assembly of the United Nations came together and declared that in order to avoid repeating the atrocities of the 20th century, the world community must declare together that human rights are universal and their foundation is based not on democratic vote, or even worse, on the decision of whoever is the most powerful, but on an inherent dignity with which we have been endowed.

We will be explaining more about this on television in just a few moments (10:45am).

Get ready for a speech that will go down in history. His ideas are deep, novel, and of consequence to all of us no matter our religious affiliation.

I want to hear what you think. Post a comment. I will read them all.

God bless, Father Jonathan

Father Jonathan Morris is the author of the new book, “The Promise: God’s Purpose and Plan for when Life Hurts”

Good morning from a box seat in National Park baseball stadium. I am in the “FOX box” overlooking what normally serves as home plate; today it is covered with the papal crest. It is 10:00am and the stadium is packed. Fifty thousand Christians are here to accompany Pope Benedict XVI in his first event open to the masses (pun intended).

With so much on the docket today, I don’t want us to overlook the content of the Pope’s address to the America bishops yesterday. This was his occasion to give marching orders—and a shot of encouragement—to his local leaders.

Once again, no punches were pulled—clarity of thought and expression dipped in and dripping with kindness. That’s this man’s way.

I hate to try to summarize the talk for you because whenever he speaks, unlike other popes in the past (even the great John Paul II) his language is always simple and accessible. He gets down to brass tacks almost immediately. I think it’s fair to say that if John Paul II was the pope of television (his smile, his grandeur gestures, his warmth), Benedict is the pope of the Internet. Once you read him, you know him.

But just in case you don’t read the whole speech, below are some key paragraphs, in the Pope’s own words.

If you have questions or comments, please take a moment to post them on this live blog. I read them and will respond as much as I can.

God bless, Father Jonathan

1) The Goodness of the American People

“Indeed, the people of this country are known for their great vitality and creativity. They are also known for their generosity. After the attack on the Twin Towers in September 2001, and again after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Americans displayed their readiness to come to the aid of their brothers and sisters in need. On the international level, the contribution made by the people of America to relief and rescue operations after the tsunami of December 2004 is a further illustration of this compassion.”

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