80,000 New Yorkers Watch Pope in Central Park

Central Park is always a popular destination in New York City but on Friday, it was particularly packed as 80,000 New Yorkers lined up to watch Pope Francis' procession.

Tickets to the procession were made available by lottery to city residents, though some of those lucky enough to score a spot attempted to sell theirs off to the highest bidder.

Francis first addressed the United Nations General Assembly in the morning, then visited the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan. There, he led a multi-religious service.

In Focus

Photos: Pope Francis at the United Nations, September 11 Memorial, Central Park and Madison Square Garden

The pope's 39 hours and 40 minutes in New York City were jam packed.

Launch Slideshow 29 PHOTOS

Over the weekend he will travel to Philadelphia, where on Sunday night he will conclude his six-day U.S. tour.

Follow along below for live updates:

6:31 p.m.: Arrivederci!

6:13 p.m.: People finally begin filing out of Central Park.

6:01 p.m.: Halloween came early in New York.

5:48 p.m.: Now you see him, now you don't.

5:33 p.m.: This kid has the best view in the park.

5:29 p.m.: A dense crowd screams as the Pope passes by, guarded by heavy security. The Pope didn't shake hands with bystanders, but that didn't seem to bother onlookers who cheered and waved Vatican flags as the pontiff and his security detail continued along the road.

5:22 p.m.: Who said New Yorkers were rude?

5:10 p.m.: Here's the crowd from a different angle.

4:52 p.m.: Quite a crowd waiting to get into Central Park.

4:50 p.m.: New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio makes a drive-by appearance by the crowds in Central Park, waving from a black SUV and trailed by golfcarts filled with police officers.

4:42 p.m.: The pope may know more about the backside of smartphones than any other man on Earth.

4:37 p.m.: At 78, the pope has to be tired after a long day of travel, speaking and greeting total strangers. But he still manages to be playful and appear grateful to meet yet another person.

4:33 p.m.: Meanwhile, back in Central Park, an excited crowd waits under a circling helicopter. There is a smattering of Vatican flags and a line of emergency vehicles waits on Central Park West.

4:15 p.m.: The pope converses with the children in his native language of Spanish. Heads are patted.

4:09 p.m.: Pope Francis is greeted by a chorus of school children.

3:57 p.m.: Pope Francis arrives at Our Lady Queen of the Angels, a school in Harlem, and his stop before going to Central Park. The Vatican is posting a live stream of the visit.

3:44 p.m.: A very New York moment: Police tell a Newsweek reporter they'll stop letting people in "when the feel like it."

3:30 p.m.: The security line to get into the papal procession in Central Park was supposed to be closed by now. The crowd is completely blocking the sidewalk now.

3:26 p.m.: Reporter Harry Smith tweeted a photo of the crowd waiting to get into the park. The record for the most people in Central Park came during a free Simon and Garfunkel concert in 1981. 500,000 people packed the park that day.

2:56 p.m.: The crowd is now eight people deep. When we arrived, it was just three people deep. More and more people are sitting now. Some wisely brought chairs.

2:52 p.m.: The pope will be walking through a portion of Central Park. The line for admittance stretches for blocks.

2:33 p.m.: The heat seems to be getting to the crowd: most people are starting to sit down on the ground. The crowd is generally respectful, offering bench seating to the pregnant, elderly and those with children.

2:16 p.m. Flyers are being passed out to the crowd.

1:36 p.m. Police are using garbage trucks to block off streets from traffic. It's possible all the barriers are already taken.

1:30 p.m. The check in line for the event in Central Park started at 11 a.m. and will close at 3:30 p.m. Those with tickets have to make it through security by then.

12:26 p.m.: The pope is now walking around the museum. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is escorting him, pointing out certain objects.

12:20 p.m.: Interfaith leaders now are standing and exchanging signs of peace.

12:16 p.m.: The pope has finished speaking. The Young People's Chorus of New York City now is singing "Let There Be Peace on Earth."

12:14 p.m.: The pope calls for a moment of silence and prayer for peace "in our homes, in our families, in our schools, in our communities."

"Peace for those faces which have known nothing but pain. Peace throughout this world which God has given us as the home of all and a home for all," he continues. "In this way, the lives of our dear ones will not be lives which will one day be forgotten. Instead, they will be present whenever we strive to be prophets not of tearing down but of building up, prophets of reconciliation, prophets of peace."

"Let us pray in silence," he concludes.

12:05 p.m.: The pope is talking about how he feels being at Ground Zero. He isn't speaking in English.

"I feel many different emotions standing here at Ground Zero, where thousands of lives were taken in a senseless act of destruction. Here grief is palpable. The water we see flowing towards that empty pit reminds us of all those lives which fell prey to those who think that destruction, tearing down, is the only way to settle conflicts," he says.

"Here, amid pain and grief, we also have a palpable sense of the heroic goodness which people are capable of, those hidden reserves of strength from which we can draw," he continues.

11:45 a.m.: The pope now is praying: "We ask you to bring healing to those present here 14 years ago, [who] continue to suffer from injuries and illness."

11:40 a.m.: Two interfaith leaders are remembering the victims of September 11, 2001.

11:38 a.m.: Cardinal Timothy Dolan addresses the crowd gathered for the service.

"We in New York are sinners, we have flaws, we make many mistakes," he tells the pope.

[Related: The Full Transcript of the Pope's Speech at the September 11 Memorial]

11:37 a.m: The pope greets interfaith leaders from New York. They are standing behind the podium.

11:35 a.m.: The pope is entering the September 11 Museum to lead the multi-religious service.

11:27 a.m.: Some protesters are gathered near the memorial.

11:18 a.m.: He is speaking and shaking hands with families outside of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

11:12 a.m.: The pope has arrived at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.

11:07 a.m.: Meanwhile, ahead of the pope's arrival at the World Trade Center Memorial, people are selling pope-themed items. Ruthie Coutinho is selling Pope Francis bands for $7 each, or two for $10.

10:57 a.m.: Colombian singer Shakira is singing "Imagine" by John Lennon to the General Assembly Hall.

10:46 a.m.: His address lasted for about 45 minutes. He addressed several different topics, including the environment, income inequality and the need to control the spread of nuclear weapons.

10:45 a.m.: "I pray to Almighty God that this will be the case, and I assure you of my support and my prayers, and the support and prayers of all the faithful of the Catholic Church, that this Institution, all its member States, and each of its officials, will always render an effective service to mankind, a service respectful of diversity and capable of bringing out, for sake of the common good, the best in each people and in every individual," the pope says, as he ends his speech to the U.N. General Assembly.

The audience cheers and gives him a standing ovation.

10:44 a.m.: "We cannot permit ourselves to postpone 'certain agendas' for the future. The future demands of us critical and global decisions in the face of world-wide conflicts which increase the number of the excluded and those in need," he says.

10:39 a.m.: He quotes the U.N. address of Pope Paul VI, who spoke almost exactly 50 years ago. His words, Francis says, "remain ever timely."

He continues, quoting Paul: "'The hour has come when a pause, a moment of recollection, reflection, even of prayer, is absolutely needed so that we may think back over our common origin, our history, our common destiny. The appeal to the moral conscience of man has never been as necessary as it is today.'"

10:37 a.m.: Drug trafficking, he says, is another kind of conflict, "not so open but silently killing millions of people."

10:36 a.m.: In Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, South Sudan and the Great Lakes region, he says, "real human beings take precedence over partisan interests, however legitimate the latter may be."

"In wars and conflicts there are individual persons, our brothers and sisters, men and women, young and old, boys and girls who weep, suffer and die. Human beings who are easily discarded when our only response is to draw up lists of problems, strategies and disagreements," he adds.

10:34 a.m.: Muslims in the Middle East, he says, "have been forced to witness the destruction of their places of worship, their cultural and religious heritage, their houses and property, and have faced the alternative either of fleeing or of paying for their adhesion to good and to peace by their own lives, or by enslavement."

10:32 a.m.: Now, the pope is touching upon the Iran nuclear deal: "The recent agreement reached on the nuclear question in a sensitive region of Asia and the Middle East is proof of the potential of political good will and of law, exercised with sincerity, patience and constancy. I express my hope that this agreement will be lasting and efficacious, and bring forth the desired fruits with the cooperation of all the parties involved."

10:31 a.m.: The pope has begun to talk about weapons of mass destruction.

"An ethics and a law based on the threat of mutual destruction—and possibly the destruction of all mankind—are self-contradictory and an affront to the entire framework of the United Nations, which would end up as "nations united by fear and distrust,'" he says.

"There is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons, in full application of the non-proliferation Treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons," he adds.

10:30 a.m.: "When, on the other hand, the norm is considered simply as an instrument to be used whenever it proves favorable, and to be avoided when it is not, a true Pandora's box is opened, releasing uncontrollable forces which gravely harm defenseless populations, the cultural milieu and even the biological environment," he says.

10:27 a.m.: "Consequently, the defense of the environment and the fight against exclusion demand that we recognize a moral law written into human nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman, and absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions," he says.

"War is the negation of all rights and a dramatic assault on the environment. If we want true integral human development for all, we must work tirelessly to avoid war between nations and between peoples," he adds.

"To this end, there is a need to ensure the uncontested rule of law and tireless recourse to negotiation, mediation and arbitration, as proposed by the Charter of the United Nations, which constitutes truly a fundamental juridical norm," he continues.

10:25 a.m.: "The ecological crisis, and the large-scale destruction of biodiversity, can threaten the very existence of the human species. The baneful consequences of an irresponsible mismanagement of the global economy, guided only by ambition for wealth and power, must serve as a summons to a forthright reflection on man," the pope says.

10:24 a.m.: "These pillars of integral human development have a common foundation, which is the right to life and, more generally, what we could call the right to existence of human nature itself," he says.

10:21 a.m.: "The dramatic reality this whole situation of exclusion and inequality, with its evident effects, has led me, in union with the entire Christian people and many others, to take stock of my grave responsibility in this regard and to speak out, together with all those who are seeking urgently-needed and effective solutions," the pope says.

"Government leaders must do everything possible to ensure that all can have the minimum spiritual and material means needed to live in dignity and to create and support a family, which is the primary cell of any social development. In practical terms, this absolute minimum has three names: lodging, labour, and land; and one spiritual name: spiritual freedom, which includes religious freedom, the right to education and other civil rights.," he adds.

10:18 a.m.: So far, the pope's address to the United Nations General Assembly has put much emphasis on the environment.

10:16 a.m.: "Solemn commitments, however, are not enough, even though they are a necessary step toward solutions. The classic definition of justice which I mentioned earlier contains as one of its essential elements a constant and perpetual will: Iustitia est constans et perpetua voluntas ius sum cuique tribuendi," the pope says.

"Our world demands of all government leaders a will which is effective, practical and constant, concrete steps and immediate measures for preserving and improving the natural environment and thus putting an end as quickly as possible to the phenomenon of social and economic exclusion, with its baneful consequences: human trafficking, the marketing of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of boys and girls, slave labour, including prostitution, the drug and weapons trade, terrorism and international organized crime," he adds.

10:13 a.m.: "Economic and social exclusion is a complete denial of human fraternity and a grave offense against human rights and the environment. The poorest are those who suffer most from such offenses, for three serious reasons: they are cast off by society, forced to live off what is discarded and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the environment. They are part of today's widespread and quietly growing 'culture of waste,'" he says.

10:12 a.m.: "In all religions, the environment is a fundamental good," Francis says. "The misuse and destruction of the environment are also accompanied by a relentless process of exclusion."

10:10 a.m.: "It must be stated that a true 'right of the environment' does exist, for two reasons. First, because we human beings are part of the environment. We live in communion with it, since the environment itself entails ethical limits which human activity must acknowledge and respect. Man, for all his remarkable gifts, which 'are signs of a uniqueness which transcends the spheres of physics and biology,' is at the same time a part of these spheres," the pope says.

"Second, because every creature, particularly a living creature, has an intrinsic value, in its existence, its life, its beauty and its interdependence with other creatures. We Christians, together with the other monotheistic religions, believe that the universe is the fruit of a loving decision by the Creator, who permits man respectfully to use creation for the good of his fellow men and for the glory of the Creator; he is not authorized to abuse it, much less to destroy it. In all religions, the environment is a fundamental good," he adds.

10:08 a.m.: "Today's world presents us with many false rights and—at the same time—broad sectors which are vulnerable, victims of power badly exercised: for example, the natural environment and the vast ranks of the excluded," he says.

10:07 a.m.: "Justice is an essential condition for achieving the ideal of universal fraternity," the pope says. "The limitation of power is an idea implicit in the idea of law itself."

10:05 a.m.: He says he wants to ensure that developing countries aren't subject to "oppressive [financial] lending systems which, far from promoting progress, subject people to mechanisms which generate greater poverty, exclusion and dependence."

"The need for greater equity is especially true in the case of those bodies with effective executive capability, such as the Security Council, the Financial Agencies and the groups or mechanisms specifically created to deal with economic crises," he says.

10:03 a.m.: "Certainly, many grave problems remain to be resolved, yet it is clear that, without all those interventions on the international level, mankind would not have been able to survive the unchecked use of its own possibilities," he says to the U.N. General Assembly.

"I pay homage to all those men and women whose loyalty and self-sacrifice have benefited humanity as a whole in these past 70 years," he adds.

10 a.m.: "The United Nations is presently celebrating its 70th anniversary. The history of this organized community of states is one of important common achievements over a period of unusually fast-paced changes," he says.

[Related: The Full Transcript of Pope Francis' Speech at the United Nations General Assembly]

9:58 a.m.: The pope has started his address to the U.N. General Assembly.

"This is the fifth time that a pope has visited the United Nations. I follow in the footsteps of my predecessors Paul VI, in 1965, John Paul II, in 1979 and 1995, and my most recent predecessor, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in 2008," Francis says.

9:57 a.m.: U.S. U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power has a front row seat.

9:54 a.m.: Ki-moon talks about the pope's "selfies with young people," and the audience claps and cheers.

"You are driven by a passion to help others...your teachings bring action," Ki-moon says.

9:51 a.m.: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addresses the crowd.

"For those of us who challenge the U.N., this chamber is a sacred space," Ki-moon says. "In no other hall, on no other platform, can a world leader speak to humanity."

"Never in our 70-year history has the United Nations welcomed a pope for the opening of the General Assembly," he adds.

9:48 a.m.: The meeting of the General Assembly is called to order.

9:46 a.m.: The pope is entering the General Assembly Hall. He sits down in a chair at the front of what looks to be a stage.

9:29 a.m.: U.N. staff tells Newsweek the pope isn't expected to address the General Assembly until at least 10 a.m.

9:21 a.m.: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, activist Malala Yousafzai and philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates are among the people inside the General Assembly Hall.

9:18 a.m.: Journalists from Turkmenistan are among the reporters in the media center. They are wearing flak jackets that say: "Turkmenistan."

9:12 a.m.: The pope is nearing the U.N. General Assembly Hall.

9:05 a.m.: Children, many of them holding signs, are singing in the hallway as they await the pope's arrival in the hallway.

"Light a candle for me. Light a candle for you. Then our wish for world peace will one day come true," they sing.

The pope is passing through the hallway in a little cart; people are surrounding him.

9:04 a.m.: The pope now is headed for the General Assembly.

9:02 a.m.: The pope has concluded his address to U.N. staff. He waves to the crowd.

There is moment of silence for the fallen U.N. staff members. The pope and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon lay a wreath.

9:01 a.m.: "Dear fans, I bless each one of you from my heart," he says. "I will pray for you and your families, and I will ask each one of you please to remember to pray for me. And if any of you are not believers, I ask you to wish me well."

8:59 a.m.: "You are a microcosm of the people this organization represents and seeks to serve," the pope says. "Like many people worldwide, you are concerned about children and their education."

"You worry about the future of the planet and what kind of world we will leave for future generations," he adds.

8:58 a.m.: He gives special thanks to the cleaners, cooks, maintenance workers and security personnel at the U.N.

"Thank you for all you do," he says, calling their efforts "quiet work."

Their work, he continues, "has great signficance for you personally for how your work expresses our dignity and the kind of persons we are."

8:57 a.m.: "I would ask all to offer my greetings to...your families and your colleagues who could not be with us today because the lottery," the pope says to laughs from the crowd.

8:55 a.m.: The pope is now at the podium, addressing U.N. staff. "Dear friends, good morning," he says in English.

"On the occasion of my visit to the United Nations, I am pleased to greet you, the men and women who are, in many ways, the backbone of this organization," Francis says. "I thank you for your work and I am grateful for all you have done to prepare for my visit."

8:54 a.m.: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has stepped up to the podium and is addressing the staff.

"It is the staff of the United Nations who are working day and night with a strong commitment....I hope you will grace them and bless them," Ki-moon says. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with them because they are the heart and soul of our world."

8:53 a.m.: The pope is seated alongside U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

8:52 a.m.: The pope has entered the General Assembly lobby, where he will address U.N. staff. People are cheering loudly and yelling, "Papa!"

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome His Holiness, Pope Francis," a voice says over a loudspeaker.

8:47 a.m.: The pope is standing for photographs with several different people.

8:42 a.m.: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is meeting with the pope and giving him a tour of the building. They are stopping in front of paintings framed on the walls.

8:37 a.m.: The pope is almost ready to address U.N. staff in the General Assembly lobby. He will address U.N. staff, then speak to the General Assembly. People are gathered behind blue security barriers. There is a livestream from the lobby on the TVs in the media center, where reporters are stationed.

8:20 a.m.: The pope has arrived at the U.N.

8:15 a.m.: The area around the U.N., including the East River, is on high alert. Once the motorcade approaches the area in Manhattan, police will close access to the building.

8 am.: Sherif Barakat, a senior news anchor for Hayat, an Egyptian TV channel, tells Newsweek today is "a very busy day for all of us." He compared the news event to "the man visiting the moon."

6:53 a.m.: At the security line at the 46th Street visitors' entrance, there are lots of cameras and lights from the gathered international media. Journalists and U.N. staff were in the line, and some started to get testy as people tried to push in. But there is a huge amount of excitement and anticipation in the air.

Secret Service police are hauling massive bags around, and there are officers and dogs everywhere.

Clutching a camera, wearing an orange dress and nude heels, Rasika Rijal, who works in human relations in the Department of Field Support, had her ticket in hand to see the pope speak to U.N. staff in the General Assembly lobby. She said she got her ticket at 5 p.m. last night.

"I wouldn't usually come to the office this early," Rijal tells Newsweek. "[I am] blessed to get this ticket...I'm here to support his cause."

Additional reporting by Lucy Westcott.