Back Stories: Pope John Paul II Returns

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Pope John Paul II returned to New York City in October 1995.

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"They were going to chopper the pope out to Giants Stadium, but the weather prevented that. There was a tremendous downpour," WCBS reporter Rich Lamb recalls.

He was on a bus in the papal motorcade when they went through the Lincoln Tunnel and emerged on the New Jersey side.

"Traffic in the opposite direction stopped. People got out of their cars. They were waiving to the pope, and the pope was waving back to them from the limousine," Rich says.

He was able to give the other out-of-town reporters on the bus a description of where this was taking place.

"When I stopped doing the report – in all humility I have to let you know, that the other members of the press corps applauded," he says. "They were so grateful that I had been giving them the tour master's description of where they had been. And I was completely embarrassed."