Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday that Mayor Zohran Mamdani should consider staying away from this year’s 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 terrorist attacks if his attendance would add to the anguish of victims’ families, arguing that the day should remain centered entirely on those affected by the tragedy.

Speaking on Newsmax’s “Bianca Across America,” Giuliani, who earned the nickname “America’s Mayor” for his leadership in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks, said the emotions of the families who lost loved ones must take precedence over everything else.

“I think Mayor Mamdani has to take into consideration that the most important thing here, to me at least in terms of the human part of it, are the feelings of these people that went through an indescribable experience,” Giuliani said.

His remarks come as some relatives of those killed on September 11 have publicly voiced opposition to Mamdani’s participation in this year’s memorial ceremony.

The president of the Catholic League has likewise urged Mamdani not to attend, pointing to concerns over the mayor’s previous remarks regarding radical Islam and the September 11 attacks.

Despite the criticism, Mamdani announced last week that he intends to be present at the ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the attacks, even as a petition circulated by some victims’ family members calls for his exclusion.

“I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration,” Mamdani said.

Giuliani suggested the controversy could be avoided if Mamdani voluntarily chose to remain away from the event as a gesture of respect toward grieving families.

“It could easily be decided that he, as a gracious act, decides, ‘I wasn’t really involved in this,'” Giuliani said. “He may say ‘they misunderstand what I say.’ I don’t think they do, but I’m sure he says that. ‘But out of deference to their feelings, I’m not going to make that day more difficult for them.'”

He emphasized that the annual observance exists to remember the victims and support the loved ones who continue to bear the pain of their loss, not to become a source of additional controversy.

“There is no point in evoking hurt on them,” Giuliani said. “This day is not about [him]. This is about these people who went through an indescribable loss.”

During the interview, Giuliani also reiterated his belief that the September 11 attacks were committed in the name of radical Islam, saying the terrorists themselves made that clear through their own words and actions.

“I know these people were killed in the name of his religion,” Giuliani said of Mamdani, a Muslim.

He acknowledged that many people interpret Islam differently but said the attackers repeatedly shouted “Allah Akbar” while carrying out the attacks.

Later in the conversation, Giuliani reflected on a recent meeting with Pope Leo XIV during the Canticle of Peace prayer gathering held in the Vatican’s Pontifical Gardens.

Describing the encounter as “very emotional,” Giuliani said the meeting carried special significance because of the renewed role his Catholic faith has taken in his life.

He explained that although he was deeply religious in his youth and even studied for the priesthood, he later drifted away from the Church. The events of September 11, personal losses, and more recent health struggles—including receiving last rites several months ago—ultimately drew him back to his faith.

“I’ve become much more spiritual,” Giuliani said. “I spend much more of my time reading about it, studying it, debating it.”

Before meeting Pope Leo, Giuliani said he made a lengthy general confession so he would be “in the proper state of grace,” explaining that he wanted to be spiritually prepared for what he viewed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Giuliani said the pope’s humility left the strongest impression on him.

“The first thing you come away with is, what a nice, regular man he is,” he said. “He is the Vicar of Christ. He’s the successor of Saint Peter … and he talks to you like you want to talk to him.”

He concluded by saying he hopes to have the chance to spend more time with Pope Leo in the future.

“I would just really enjoy having a half hour or one hour sitting with him and asking him a lot of questions,” Giuliani said. “I think he enjoyed it, too.”

{Matzav.com}