Museum Marks 2nd Anniversary, Welcomes 5.6 Million Visitors

Museum Marks 2nd Anniversary, Welcomes 5.6 Million Visitors

A monochrome image of the 9/11 Memorial shows one of the reflecting pools lit up at night, with surrounding buildings illuminated in the background. The Twin Towers’ steel, rust-colored tridents are the only colorized object in the photo. They are visible through the windows of the Museum Pavilion.
A view of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Photo by Joe Woolhead.

Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the day the 9/11 Memorial Museum opened its doors to the public. Six days earlier, the museum opened for a special tribute-filled dedication period including a ceremony on May 15, 2014, attended by 9/11 families, 9/11 rescue and recovery workers, active duty first responders, survivors and lower Manhattan residents and business owners.

“Here at this memorial, this museum, we come together," President Obama said at the dedication. "We stand in the footprints of two mighty towers, graced by the rush of eternal waters. We look into the faces of nearly 3,000 innocent souls... Here, we tell their story so that generations yet unborn will never forget." More than five and a half million museum visitors from all 50 states and over 150 countries have been introduced to the stories and lives of the people who died at this sacred site and more than 26 million visitors have come to pay tribute at the memorial.

In the past two years, U.S. and foreign dignitaries have also paid tribute, including former President George W. Bush, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, United States Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and many others.

Additionally, Pope Francis hosted a Multireligious Meeting for Peace in the museum with leaders from various religions, communicating a message which noted that "lives of our dear ones will not be lives which will one day be forgotten."

Educational offerings for members and visitors have expanded to include a variety of public programs including daytime talks that examine 9/11-related topics and 30 nighttime public programs featuring notable speakers such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff 

9/11 Museum Program Focuses on ‘Interfaith Dialogue’ with Rabbi, Imam, Cardinal

9/11 Museum Program Focuses on ‘Interfaith Dialogue’ with Rabbi, Imam, Cardinal

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Imam Khalid Latif and Cardinal Timothy Dolan sit onstage at the Museum Auditorium during a public program on interfaith dialogue.
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Imam Khalid Latif and Cardinal Timothy Dolan at 9/11 Memorial Museum. Photo by Jin Lee.

Three of the participants  in the historic Multireligous Meeting for Peace led by Pope Francis inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum were reunited last night at the museum.

“Interfaith dialogue isn’t just one thing,” said Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, who was joined on stage by Imam Khalid Latif and Cardinal Timothy Dolan as part of the museum’s public programming. “The first step is to acknowledge the humanity of the other. You don’t have to be wrong for me to be right.”

The three men reflected on the pope’s visit in September, talked about the value of interfaith dialogue and explained why having these types of discussions at the museum are fitting.  

When he stood in the museum with the pope and other religious leaders, Imam Latif told the crowd that he was reminded of the positive legacy of 9/11.

 “On stage, my mind wasn’t drawn to the worst of humanity, but the best of humanity on 9/11,” he said.

Before arriving for the interfaith meeting, the pope was astonished by the convening power of the museum, Cardinal Dolan said.  “There aren’t many countries where you can do what we are about to do. All these religions coming together, not just tolerating, but celebrating and enjoying it,” Dolan said Pope Francis told him.

The pope was moved not only with the museum, but the spirit of New York City. Dolan disclosed that as Pope Francis departed the city in a helicopter, he asked the pilot to circle the Statue of Liberty. After going around once, he requested they circle her again.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

A Look Back at 2015

A Look Back at 2015

Pope Francis views “Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning” by artist Spencer Finch. The pope is wearing a white outfit and cap as he looks at the dozens of blue tiles that make up the artwork.
Pope Francis views "Trying To Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning" by artist Spencer Finch. Photo by Jin Lee.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has had another remarkable year. Since its opening in 2011, the Memorial has welcomed more than 22 million visitors and in the Museum's first year in operation, it welcomed its four millionth visitor.

This year, our educational offerings grew to include a variety of public programs for Museum members and visitors, including talks that examine 9/11-related topics and featuring notable speakers such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Additionally, the Memorial and Museum was honored to have Pope Francis host a Multireligious Meeting for Peace with leaders from various religions in the Museum’s Foundation Hall, communicating a message which noted that "lives of our dear ones will not be lives which will one day be forgotten."

A look back at more 2015 moments

By 9/11 Memorial staff

Pope Francis Visits For Historic Multireligious Gathering

Pope Francis Visits For Historic Multireligious Gathering

Pope Francis, Dr. Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, and Imam Khalid Latif stand on a stage at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
Pope Francis with Dr. Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, Senior Rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue and Imam Khalid Latif, Executive Director of the Islamic Center. Photo by Jin Lee.

Pope Francis was joined by leaders from various religious traditions in a historic Multireligious Meeting for Peace at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Friday, September 25, 2015.

“I feel many different emotions standing here at ground zero, where thousands of lives were taken in a senseless act of destruction," said Pope Francis. “Here grief is palpable."

Pope Francis arrived just before 11:15 a.m. and met with a group of relatives of some of the nearly 3,000 victims on the 9/11 Memorial and offered condolences and prayers for healing. Pope Francis was then welcomed into the museum’s foundation hall by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York. Standing adjacent to the last column and with the slurry wall as his background, a symbol of this country’s resilience after 9/11, Pope Francis addressed the crowd with a prayer of remembrance for the victims of the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 terror attacks.

Pope Francis said, "God of love, compassion and healing look on us, people of many different faiths and religious traditions, who gather today in this hallowed ground, the scene of unspeakable violence and pain, we ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here: the heroic first responders: our firefighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11, 2001."

As part of the program, reflections and meditations were read by a group of selected religious leaders. The Young People’s Chorus of New York City performed the song “Let there be peace on Earth.”

Before leaving the Museum, the Pope viewed some inspirational artifacts within the museum's historical exhibition, including an intersecting steel column and crossbeam known as the Cross at Ground Zero.

After lunch, Pope Francis will head to Our Lady Queen of Angels School in east Harlem where he will meet schoolchildren. He will then proceed through Central Park before conducting mass at Madison Square Garden. On Saturday, the Pope is scheduled to depart from NYC for Philadelphia.

By Hannah Coffman, Digital Content Manager

Pope Francis to Visit Memorial and Museum

Pope Francis to Visit Memorial and Museum

Pope Francis greets visitors in Varginha, Brazil.
Pope Francis at Varginha, Brazil. Photo credit: Agência Brasil

One of the world’s most recognizable leaders will visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in September. Pope Francis will visit on Sept. 25, 2015 to pay his respects to the victims of 9/11 and meet with local religious leaders from across many faiths. “We are deeply honored to welcome one of the world’s most respected figures to the Memorial and Museum. This visit is another powerful example of the significance global leaders are placing on coming to this sacred ground,” 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said. “Pope Francis has expressed the importance of preserving the living memory of others. For many around the world, including those who experienced 9/11, there is no more important a place for that kind of reflection than the Memorial and Museum.” This visit is part of the pontiff’s first trip to America, becoming the fourth leader of the Roman Catholic Church to visit the United States. After seeing the Memorial, the Pope will lead a Multireligious Meeting for Peace inside the Museum, where he will gather with local representatives of the world religions to give a common witness to peace. 

“During the darkest days after the 9/11 attacks, the remarkable triumph of the human spirit – demonstrated through acts of courage, determination, and generosity as we came together and buttressed our grief with faith in the possibility of renewal – inspired not only our country but people around the world,” 9/11 Memorial Museum Director Alice Greenwald said. Francis will also be the first pope to visit the Memorial and Museum. The last time a Pope was at the World Trade Center site, the Memorial and Museum were not yet open. Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, knelt and prayed during a ceremony in April 2008 at Ground Zero. While many will wish to see the Pope, there are capacity and security restrictions at the Memorial and Museum. A lottery will be held to offer an opportunity for a select number of guests from the 9/11 community to join the Pope on the Memorial, as well as for an extremely limited number to attend the event hosted by the New York Archdiocese in the Museum. More details will follow.

By Anthony Guido, 9/11 Memorial Director of Communications

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