Medford man makes good

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York -- born in Boston and raised in Medford -- has just greeted the congregation here at St. Patrick's Cathedral and welcomed the pope to the nation's largest city.

"It says everything about America that a small-town, middle-class kid named Bloomberg could grow up and be asked to welcome the pope,'' Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg began his brief remarks by thanking the Catholic clergy and parishes for their role in the city. "So many New Yorkers look to you for wisdom and guidance,'' he said.

Bloomberg is Jewish, and the city has a large Jewish population, which the mayor alluded to in his brief remarks, mentioning that tonight is the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

"New York is buzzing, and Pope Benedict couldn't have picked a better time to come,'' he said. "A beautiful spring weekend, the 200th anniversary of the archdiocese of New York, and, to top it all off, it's Passover.''

Bloomberg noted that the pope has been greeted everywhere by sunshine, and said, "I don't know if the pope is responsible for the fantastic weather we have, but, as Cardinal Egan (of New York) told me, there are no accidents.''

posted by Michael Paulson, Globe Staff

For all the blog posts on the papal visit, go here.

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