Those waiting for Pope Francis to arrive at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday didn’t cede to the notion that you can’t wear white after Labor Day. And upon his arrival, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that white is in.

Francis himself kept it simple as usual with a natural white cassock, a matching skull cap and a short and elbow-length cape known as a mozetta. And unlike his predecessor who preferred red Prada slippers, Pope Francis walks in basic black shoes.

I was invited by the Mayor’s Office to participate in his visit by attending a public greeting. Among his admirers were New York City’s finest in crisp white shirts, Mayor Bill de Blasio, also wearing a white shirt, sisters from every order, and my sister from New Jersey. We all patiently waited for four hours to see his holiness. Catholic or not, once the pope mobile drove by, it was hard not to feel inspired and agree with Pope Francis that we should all follow the “Golden Rule” – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.