Pope Francis leads evening prayers at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York
NEW YORK (WPVI) -- Following a trip down Fifth Avenue, shortly after his arrival, Pope Francis attended a prayer service Thursday at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
The pontiff delivered his remarks in Spanish, and got a standing ovation when he thanked America's nuns.
"What would the Church be without you? Women of strength, fighters, with that spirit of courage which puts you in the front lines in the proclamation of the Gospel," said Pope Francis.
Outside, thousands packed Fifth Avenue and lined department store windows hoping to catch a glimpse of the pope as he traveled along in the popemoblie.
"We saw a lot of people holding cell phones up in their arms, but that was it," said Laura Sullivan of Pittsburgh, Kan. "But we're going to Philadelphia on Sunday and hope to see him there."
The pope's second day in the Big Apple will be a busy one.
He will visit the United Nations, the 9/11 Memorial, a catholic school in Harlem, parade through Central Park and celebrate Mass at Madison Square Garden.
New Yorkers have been warned to expect street closures of "biblical proportions".
In preparation for the pope's visit, the NYPD mounted its largest security operation in history to keep him safe.
"There's been a lot of security around, way more than there was normally when we've been in New York," said Robin Scardino of Audubon, New Jersey.
