Pope Francis Meets with Latino, Black Children in New York

In his visit to New York City’s Latino-majority neighborhood East Harlem, Pope Francis met with Black and Latino school children Friday and handed them a message in defence of “joy” and “dreaming.”

Pope Francis, who has made migrant and refugee rights a top priority in his U.S. tour, met with immigrant children and parents from Our Lady Queen of Angels School and reminded them of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

“His dream was that many children like you could have access to education. He dreamed that many men and women like you could keep their head high” he said. “Dreams are beautiful, and it is beautiful to fight for dreams … Don’t stop dreaming that you can live with joy.”

 

The visit is another move in the Pope’s tour intended to criticize and highlight issues of socio-economic inequality, the impacts of war and the arms industry, migration crises, and climate change.

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Meanwhile for residents of East Harlem, home to the largest Latino community in New York City, the Pope’s visit is a recognition of a community often neglected by politicians and policy makers, if not for criminalization and urban displacement.

"He didn't forget about the minorities, he didn't forget about the low-income. He knows there are children right here now struggling to finish their education. He is from parents who were immigrants and this is a majority immigrant neighborhood," 39-year-old Zoraya Rivera told NBC.

 

Yet the importance of the Pope’s visit cannot be separated from his religious mission, which connects with the many U.S.-Latinos, who make up one third of his Catholic following in the U.S.

“Where there are dreams there is joy, and where there is joy, Jesus is always present. God never abandons,” Pope Francis concluded.