Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Memorial Service Held in New York

Aired October 28, 2001 - 18:19   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.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: It has been nearly seven weeks since more than 4,600 victims of terrorism disappeared in what was the World Trade Center. Today, over 9,000 people gathered at the ruins to pray, sing and mourn together. CNN's Brian Palmer was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The wind cooperated, clearing the sky and delivering beautiful hopeful melodies to thousands gathered at Ground Zero to grieve for loved ones lost on September 11, a public memorial service, to heal private wounds.

Recovery activity at Ground Zero stopped for the service, the first time since the one-month anniversary of the attacks when a moment of silence was observed. Dignitaries assembled but did not speak, leaving the day to the musicians, mourners and men of faith who shared a message of sorrow and renewal.

EDWARD CARDINAL EGAN, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: We are in mourning, Lord. We have hardly any tears left to shed. For the past almost seven weeks our world has been engulfed in fear and hurt. Help us to set things right.

RABBI JOSEPH POTASNIK, CHAPLAIN, NEW YORK FIRE DEPARTMENT: In Hebrew we say, harofay leshooralay (ph) , heal those who are broken. We come here today to hold those who hurt so much, to help those who need so much, and to hear those who cry so much.

IMAM IZAK-EL MU EED PASHA, CHAPLAIN, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: And we should have no differences. But our differences should be the beauty of our faces and our cultures, the beauty of our ways of worship.

PALMER: And for every family, for each person, different reasons for attending the memorial.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe this, this ceremony today will give us some closure, but I don't think so. I think this is going to last a long time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I lost my husband in the World Trade Center so we just came to, I guess, I don't know, put some sort of closure to the incident, and to pay our respects. PALMER: And in a larger sense the service may also help the nation recover and reclaim something of what was lost, at least in spirit, on September 11.

Brian Palmer CNN New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com