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CNN Sunday Morning

Close to 60,000 People Are Expected to Attend Prayer Service at Yankee Stadium

Aired September 23, 2001 - 07:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yankee Stadium today -- close to 60,000 will pack in there for a prayer service. CNN's Martin Savidge this morning watching things develop for us. Marty, good morning.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Bill. You can see the sun now rising over Yankee Stadium from our vantage point here in Harlem looking across the Harlem River. And this is going to be a very somber day obviously for this particular setting. They are going to have what is referred to as a prayer service -- A Prayer for America is the official title. It is going to be led by Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones. It is also going to have many religious leaders that will have readings from different types of faith.

And then on top of that there will be the performances of music -- everything from classic to modern day. Actress and singer Bette Midler will perform Wind Beneath My Wings. And then there will be Legg Groomwood (ph) who's performing God Bless the U.S. Placido Domingo will also be performing as well as the Harlem Boys and Girls Club Choir.

And it should be pointed out that this is a ticket-only event and you can imagine with some 6,000 people still missing that the family members and representatives for them alone will go a long way to fill this stadium.

There are tickets that have been made available to the general public and there are also alternate viewing sites that have been set up in Brooklyn, over in Coney Island and also at a baseball stadium in Staten Island.

This had been an event -- a memorial service that had been talked about for this weekend possibly being staged in Central Park. New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said that that was not appropriate at this particular time to have such a final event, that people were still grieving and that emergency crews were still involved in the search and recovery effort.

He said that it was much more appropriate to have a prayer service. What he didn't point out was the fact that also such an open air venue would be very difficult to protect with the number of police officers and law enforcement personnel involved at the World Trade Center site. Bill? HEMMER: All right, Marty. As we saw on Friday night at Shay Stadium the emotion was there. We should see it again a bit later this afternoon at Yankee. Marty, thanks to you.

Also huge crowds from overseas. An estimated 50,000 turned out in Kazakhstan -- that's near Afghanistan -- to hear the Pope's appeal for peace. Pope John Paul II ended a mass in Kazakhstan with a special prayer for Christians and Muslims. He prayed that all people work in peace and not let the September 11th attacks not drive a further wedge between people of different faiths.

Back in this country countless millions of Americans will head into their place of worship on this Sunday. Let's talk more about faith in America. Bishop Gilbert Patterson presides over the Church of God and Christ. Bishop Patterson live from Memphis -- good morning to you.

BISHOP GILBERT PATTERSON, CHURCH OF GOD AND CHRIST: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: You met with the president on Thursday of last week. Give us a idea of what he talked about, what he asked you? And we're told he's a good listener. What was he listening for, Bishop?

PATTERSON: Well, number one, we came together approximately 20 leaders across denominational and ethnic lines. And basically there was an agreement that we all signed on to respecting human life.

And after that preliminary meeting we went to the Roosevelt Room to meet with the president. And the president talked to us about the things that had happened and just the general -- just kind of generalizing. We ended it with a prayer for him. And he gave all of us the opportunity to express ourselves.

HEMMER: Cardinal Egan, the Archbishop here in New York City, had mass yesterday. And he started his homily by basically telling people that they might be surprised to hear his words but he called for justice yesterday here in New York City. Do you have similar feelings? And, if so, how do you define justice?

PATTERSON: Well, justice naturally is the proper response to the acts that have happened. And from the religious community I think that we would use a word like justice but the weight of responsibility is really on the president who is the Commander in Chief. And the conduct of what the response of our nation will be is clearly in the hands of the president and not in the hands of those of us as religious leaders.

HEMMER: Bishop Patterson, on a personal level, as you meet with members of your congregation would you support war if indeed that's what the Commander in Chief so ordered?

PATTERSON: Well, I think that we have to understand that as Americans -- as citizens of the United States -- we cannot as religious leaders sit passively by and say "no response" because if there is no response it invites further attacks. As far as the level of response, as I said, it would be determined by the president. But we as people of God -- people of faith -- I think that our main thing is to try to show to our congregants just really where we are in the spectrum of time.

I don't spend time in the pulpit trying to necessarily prepare people for war but I try to spend time showing them in the Bible really why some things are allowed by God and what we as his people should do in response.

HEMMER: I mentioned before that millions of Americans are turning to faith, searching for answers to somehow figure out what happened here in New York City 12 days ago. What kind of questions, Bishop Patterson -- what kind of questions are you fielding and taking on this?

PATTERSON: Well, naturally there is always the question as to how could something like this happen -- so many people -- innocent people -- dying? And I try to go back in the scripture recognizing that what was written before time was written for our learning.

And in the Old Testament we have the example of the nation of Israel that when their ways pleased God and they lived within his commandments he protected them from their enemies.

But when they violated his laws God used their enemies as somewhat of a chastening rod within his hands.

HEMMER: And if this act truly was committed by those who adhere to the Islamic faith -- if indeed that is proven from this point forward, how do you as a Christian help people to understand why such an act takes place?

PATTERSON: Well, we cannot really tell why. "Why" is the one word that is asked behind every tragedy of whether it is the tragedy of a child being struck by and automobile or a tragedy of such proportion as we experienced on September the 11th. "Why" is never an easy thing to answer.

We are people that have been created by our Creator. There is a certain destiny that this world is heading toward. And I don't think that there is a lot that anyone can do in order to stop the cataclysmic events that will that will usher in what Christians believe is the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

HEMMER: I think we're all asking, "Why," again, today on this Sunday. Bishop Patterson, many thanks to you for sharing your thoughts with this -- with us rather on this Sunday morning. Much appreciated.

PATTERSON: Thank you.

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