Prayers for lost and dead to come

New Yorkers held pictures of missing loved ones and wept together during a prayer service for victims of America's day of terror.

For the 20,000 who gathered in autumn sunshine at New York's famous Yankee Stadium, "A Prayer for America" was an outpouring of grief and defiance in the face of what happened on September 11.

This was the biggest ceremony yet and followed the weekend's star-studded benefit to raise money for those killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center.

Symbolically, the gathering was also the most important, with a feeling among the sombre crowd that this was not just for those who had died but for the casualties of war to come.

Strangers of all ages and races shook hands and hugged each other while readings and invocations were given by religious leaders of all faiths - Catholic and Protestant, Jewish and Muslim, Hindu and Sikh.

American flags were everywhere, fluttering in the gentle breeze and waving in time to the music.

Co-host of the event, television talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, drew wild applause and cheers as she declared: "God bless New York!"

Tenor Placido Domingo took to the stage to sing Ave Maria before Bette Midler sang Wind Beneath My Wings.

As New York's political, religious and entertainment leaders gathered to share their grief, security was tight, and bags, backpacks and bottles were banned.

The Federal Aviation Authority ordered a 5km no-fly zone above the stadium and a thousand police officers and guards were at the gates, on the field, in the stands and on the roofs of nearby buildings.

The five-hour televised ceremony drew fewer people than organisers had hoped, with only a third of Yankee Stadium's 57,000 seats occupied. There were also plenty of spare seats at the four other ballparks set up for a simulcast of the event. People speculated that grieving families might not have wanted to appear in public.

Rosa Caciedo, whose husband David is among the more than 6000 missing, said: "It is comforting to be around others who understand my pain. I have not lost hope, I still think that maybe he will turn up alive. You must have hope."

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