Pope Francis was greeted by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as he arrived at UN headquarters on Friday morning to address the General Assembly. The UN raised a Vatican flag next to its 193 member states in honor of the pope's visit. The Vatican is one of only two UN observer states, along with Palestine. The latter successfully sponsored a resolution allowing observer states' flags to fly alongside those of member states when their leaders are in town to address the General Assembly. Tight security measures were in place at the UN, where bomb-sniffing dogs on hand to check out those authorized to enter the building while First Avenue, where the UN is located, was closed to traffic. Pope Francis is expected to spend less than two hours at the UN,s and will be transported within the building by an electric car.
"I would like to ask each of you, according to your own capacities, to take care of one another," he told UN staffers. "Support one another, respect one another, so that you may embody this organization's ideal of a united human family, living in harmony and working not only for peace but in peace; acting not only for justice, but in a spirit of justice".
Ban Ki-moon told Francis that "we are inspired by your humility and your humanity". "We are inspired by your call to global action for social justice, against climate change, and to guarantee a dignified life for all," Ban continued, after UN staff greeted the pontiff with an ovation. "I would just like to say thank you, in all the languages of the world, in the name of all the people we serve," added Ban, adding that UN staffers represent "the heart and soul of our labor".
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