Mayor de Blasio refers to deaths of 2 NYPD officers in first holiday message

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio referred to the deaths of two NYPD officers and recent protests in his first holiday message to the city.

The mayor said, "Recent events have brought great pain to our city, but the beauty and the strength of New York is that we don't let moments like these divide us. As we have done together as a city so many times before, we will take this moment as an opportunity not just to heal, but also to grow back stronger and more united than we've ever been. "

The mayor was scheduled to celebrate Christmas mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral at midnight.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan was expected to mention the slain officers in his sermon.

Earlier Wednesday, De Blasio said anti-police protests after the officers' deaths are "deeply divisive."

The mayor says protests Tuesday came during a "period of remembrance" as two families coped with deep pain and the city mourned the deaths.

Funeral services for Officer Rafael Ramos are scheduled for Saturday morning in Glendale, Queens.

No funeral plans have been announced yet for Officer Wenjian Liu.