Pope Francis prayed for all New Yorkers Saturday afternoon as he visited the Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum.

The pontiff stopped at the reflecting pool and prayed over the plaques with the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died there, including 496 Long Islanders. He prayed for eternal peace for all of the victims, and asked God to bring "peace to our violent world."

He also visited with some family members of Sept. 11 victims.

Pope Francis then delivered remarks to more than 400 representatives from faith groups in a ceremony at the Sept. 11 Memorial Museum.

About a dozen religious leaders from the Jewish, Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Hindu and other faiths sat in chairs behind the pope as he spoke at an interfaith ceremony.

In his remarks, the pope said the world can build peace from its differences, and said there should be opposition to "any attempt to make us all the same." Rather, he encouraged all to "say yes to our differences, accepting reconciliation."

The pontiff added that the world must look to its diversity of languages, cultures and religions and throw away "feelings of hate and revenge and rancor."