Ronald McDonald House residents get unscripted moments with pope

Published: 2008-04-21

NEW YORK (CNS) -- In an unscheduled April 19 event, Pope Benedict XVI greeted about 40 disabled children and their family members from Ronald McDonald House in New York. At about 8 p.m., chaplain Cherilyn Frei received a call from James Murtagh, the commanding officer of the New York Police Department's 19th Precinct saying that the pope wanted to greet neighborhood residents outside Archbishop Celestino Migliore's residence, where he was staying. The precinct's jurisdiction includes Ronald McDonald House and the archbishop's residence, and officers helped provide security during Pope Benedict's April 18-20 New York visit. "I ran down the halls, knocked on some doors and basically we threw them into vans and took off," Frei told Catholic News Service. The group waited for 30 minutes before Pope Benedict emerged close to 9 p.m. The families, standing behind metal barricades set up outside the residence, held up their children to receive the pope's blessing. About 80 people from the neighborhood also attended. Ronald McDonald Houses, located nationwide, provide temporary housing for a nominal fee to pediatric cancer patients and their families.

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