| Part ofpastoral visits of Pope Paul VI | |
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| Date | October 4, 1965 (1965-10-04) |
|---|---|
| Location | New York City,New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°44′58″N73°58′5″W / 40.74944°N 73.96806°W /40.74944; -73.96806 |
| Cause | To give a speech before theUnited Nations General Assembly |
| Filmed by | ABC,CBS, andNBC |
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Pope Paul VI visitedNew York City on October 4, 1965. This was the first time that apope had visited theUnited States in particular and theAmericas as a whole.
The purpose of the trip was for Paul VI to give a speech before theUnited Nations General Assembly regardingworld peace. In addition to his speech at theUN's headquarters, the pope held aMass service atYankee Stadium, blessed CardinalFrancis Spellman atSt. Patrick's Cathedral, spoke with PresidentLyndon B. Johnson at theWaldorf Astoria New York, and visited theVatican City'spavilion at the1964 New York World's Fair. It is estimated that at least 1 million people saw the pope in person, while 100 million watched his visit on television. After the visit, a shrine was erected at the site of the pavilion honoring the pope. Several other popes have also visited New York City, with several holding large Mass services at Yankee Stadium.
The primary purpose ofPope Paul VI's trip toNew York City was to speak before theUnited Nations regarding peace, especially with regard to arecent conflict between India and Pakistan.[1] In light of this, the pope selected October 4, 1965, as the date for his visit.[1] The date was thefeast day forFrancis of Assisi, the namesake of the American city ofSan Francisco, which had been the birthplace of the United Nations.[1] The trip would follow several others that the pope had taken prior, including to the Holy Land and to India, withNewsweek opining in contemporary reporting that "Paul VI is clearly seeking for the Vatican the same kind of recognition and broader audience that secular leaders seek with their own state visits".[2] The magazine also stated that the trips were part of a broader mission, initiated by Paul VI's predecessor Pope John XXIII, to increase the church's engagement with thesecular world.[2] To that end, Paul VI was the first pope to travel outside of Italy since 1809.[3][4][5]
According toTime, Paul VI's visit was difficult for officials in the federal government to plan because the United States did not have anydiplomatic relations with theVatican City at the time, meaning that PresidentLyndon B. Johnson could not meet with the pope as he would a visitinghead of state.[1] However, as Johnson was already planning to be in New York City during that day for meetings, it was decided that the two could meet in an unofficial capacity.[1]
TheNew York City Police Department prepared for the pope's visit by stationing 18,000 officers along his planned route through the city,[6][7] at a cost of $1 million ($10 million in 2024) inovertime pay.[2] Additional security support was provided by theNew York State Police, theUnited States Secret Service,Pinkerton, and members of theUnited States Department of State and the United Nations' security forces.[2] Buildings along the route were checked by security teams, with multiple shops along the route opting to board up their windows and close for the day.[2] Specific areas for protestors were established and patrolled, with special attention paid to people expressing stronganti-Catholic sentiments.[2] In addition to ground forces, severalpolice helicopters were in the air during his tour and severalfrogmen were stationed under bridges.[2]
A week prior to his arrival, a 21-foot (6.4 m)Lincoln Continentallimousine was customized to serve as apopemobile.[2] The vehicle featured a large open section in the rear with a black vinyl throne that could be raised or lowered electronically, with lighting to illuminate the pope for spectators to see.[2] Television and radio crews were set up along the route, with theBig Three television networks—ABC,CBS, andNBC—pooling their resources for the coverage.[2] To provide commentary for their coverage, CBS employedFulton J. Sheen, who at the time was aCatholic bishop.
Paul VI arrived in New York City on October 4, 1965.[8][9][10] He traveled viaAlitalia,[11] flying in aDouglas DC-8 that had been decorated with chartreuse velvet.[2] Upon landing atJohn F. Kennedy International Airport,[6][5] he was greeted byU Thant, thesecretary-general of the United Nations,[3] and spoke to television reporters.[4] While at the airport, he proclaimed:[5]
"Greetings to you, America. The first pope to set foot on your land blesses you with all his heart. He renews, as it were, the gesture of your discoverer,Christopher Columbus, when he planted the Cross of Christ on this blessed soil."
Departing the airport, Paul VI commenced on a 25-mile (40 km) journey through theboroughs ofQueens andManhattan toSt. Patrick's Cathedral.[7] The route took him through theHarlem neighborhood of Manhattan and alongFifth Avenue,[7] allowing the pope to seeCentral Park.[11] At thecathedral, Paul VI conductedMass services.[4] He additionally blessed the cathedral'scardinal,[9]Francis Spellman,[3] as well as the crowd that had gathered to see him.[4] Afterwards, he had a brief meeting with Spellman at his nearby residence.[3]
Paul VI then went to theWaldorf Astoria New York in order to meet with President Johnson.[9] The meeting was the first time that a reigning pope and a president of the United States had met outside of Vatican City.[10] The two talked about politics and posed for photographs with reporters.[4] In total, the meeting lasted 46 minutes.[7][11]
Following his meeting with the president, the pope traveled to the UN headquarters,[3] visiting a nearby church as well.[7] Once there, he gave a speech before theUnited Nations General Assembly,[9] with his primary focus concerning peace in theatomic age.[3][4] Among other things, he pleaded during the speech, "No more war, never again war! Drop your weapons. One cannot love with offensive weapons in hand."[7] He additionally quoted former PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, the first Catholic president of the United States, by saying, "Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind."[11] Following his 35-minute speech, he received a standing ovation from the 2,000 people in attendance, which included Kennedy's widowJacqueline, his brotherTed, and Ted's wifeJoan.[11]
After this, the pope went toYankee Stadium to preside over a large Mass service.[8][10][3] 90,000 people were in attendance,[7] including SenatorRobert F. Kennedy and two of his sons.[11] During his speech at the stadium, he announced that a stone that he had brought fromSt. Peter's Basilica would be blessed and used in the construction of a newseminary for theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.[12]
Following the Yankee Stadium Mass, the pope visited the Vatican'spavilion for the1964 New York World's Fair, which was being held in Queens.[3][13] The pavilion housed thePietà byMichelangelo,[7] which was normally on display at St. Peter's Basilica, but had been authorized for display at the world's fair by Paul VI's immediate predecessor.[13] He departed the fair at 10:30 pm, and by midnight, he was flying back to Rome.[4] In total, the trip lasted 14 hours.[9][10]
With the visit, Paul VI became the first pope to visit theAmericas,[8] theWestern Hemisphere,[1][3][4] and theNew World.[5] Sources vary on how many people saw the pope during his travel, with different sources giving values of 1 million,[3][7] 4 million,[11] and 5 million.[2] An additional 100 million people watched the event on television.[3][7] Following the visit, a shrine dedicated to both Paul VI and the Vatican's world's fair pavilion was erected inFlushing Meadows–Corona Park.[13]
In the early 1980s, the United States and the Holy See established diplomatic relations.[1] In the ensuing years, several popes have visited the United States, withTime commenting in 2015 that a papal visitation has occurred "at least once a decade" since then.[11] Multiple popes have visited New York City and, similar to Paul VI, have held Mass services at Yankee Stadium.[5][6][10] Duringhis visit to the United States in 2015, Pope Francis also visited St. Patrick's Cathedral and gave a speech at the United Nations headquarters.[1]
