On the third anniversary of his election after the death of John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the first Papal Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City Saturday.

At the symbolic seat of American Catholicism, the pope spoke before around 3,000 people, including deacons, priests and religious men and women. Benedict is the third pope to visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, built in 1858, after Paul VI and John Paul II both visited it.

The pontiff mentioned the cathedral’s “highly complex structure” and “exact and harmonious proportions” and said it symbolized the need of unity among Catholics everywhere.

He said he hoped the shocking sex scandals involving clergy members would not damage the people’s faith and would not divide the Catholic Church.

"I have already had occasion to speak of this and of the resulting damage to the community of the faithful," he said during Mass, according to CNN.

"I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular church and religious community and a time for healing. I also encourage you to cooperate with your bishops who continue to work effectively to resolve this issue."

However, the whole mass was mainly positive, not insisting on the sins, but on the great power of faith.

After the mass, the pope traveled to St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers to meet about 50 disabled children, whom he gave the papal blessing.

Leaving aside the very enthusiastic crowds that gathered to see the pope, there were also some unlucky people, who only got to see the pontiff by mistake, being caught on Fifth Avenue, while the pope was transported in his Popemobile after the Mass.

Several people found it annoying that the papal event prevented them from fulfilling aims that had been scheduled for that day,