NYC Committee Wants Pope to Visit Bronx

New York City lawmakers and business owners want to lure the Pope to the Bronx.

Pope Francis has plans to visit New York City in September, and a committee that includes Congressman Jose Serrano (D-NY 15), Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and the 161 Street Business Improvement District are persuading the pontiff to come to the outer borough.

Pope Francis is the first Latino pontiff, and Diaz Jr. said given his heritage, the Bronx is the perfect place to visit. 

“We’re appealing to him that [the Bronx] is the only county in New York where a are majority [of residents] are Latino,” Diaz Jr. said.

According to the 2010 census, the county is almost 50 percent Hispanic and Latino.

The committee wants the new Pope to hold mass at Yankee Stadium which is located in the area of the 161 Street Business Improvement District.

Dr. Cary Goodman, Executive Director of the BID, said having the Pope come would mean a lot to the neighborhood.

“I’ve spoken to several generations of people who have lived in the area, and they say there’s a certain excitement that comes through the neighborhood when [the Pope] comes to the area,” Goodman said.

Pope Benedict held mass at Yankee Stadium in 2008, before the new Yankee Stadium opened a year later. Goodman said it makes sense for the new Pope to give mass at the new ballpark.