Cardinal Timothy Dolan says Pope Francis asked the pilot to circle the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as he was leaving Manhattan for JFK International Airport.
Dolan says the Pope became emotional as the helicopter carried him over the landmarks that greeted millions of immigrants to America.
“As we circled Ellis Island, as we circled the Statue of Liberty, I could see he was very `commosso' - as they say in Italian,” Dolan said. The word he chose means ``moved.''
The pope left his residence on the Upper East Side shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday.
The detour happened as the Pope took a chopper to JFK Airport to board his short flight to Philadelphia.
Roman Catholic worshippers and church officials gathered for a brief farewell on the JFK airport tarmac.
This all comes after the pope spent a very busy day crisscrossing Manhattan.
The pope wrapped up his visit to New York by celebrating Mass at Madison Square Garden.
About 20 thousand people packed the arena for the Mass.
The pope's chair, altar and linens were all made by New Yorkers with ties to Catholic Charities.
In his homily, the Pope focused on faith here in the city.
"Knowing that Jesus still walks our streets, that he is vitally a part of the lives of his people, that he is involved with us in one vast history of salvation, fills us with hope,” Pope Francis said. “A hope that makes us see even in the midst of smog, the presence of God even as he continues to walk the streets of our city."
Before the Mass, the Pope took two spins around the Garden on a golf cart.
He waved to the crowd, kissed some children, and embraced some of the faithful as he rode through the arena.
In Philadelphia, the Pope will speak at Independence Hall, where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.