This Week in Christian History: George Washington, Martin Luther, Pope Comes to US
Pope Paul VI Becomes First Pope to Visit the United States – October 4, 1965
This week marks the anniversary of when Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit the United States of America, when he came to New York City to address the United Nations.
Coming at a time when the Vietnam War was escalating and Second Vatican Council was still meeting in Rome, the pontiff stressed a message of peace during his remarks to the international body.
"If you want to be brothers, let the arms fall from your hands. A person cannot love with offensive weapons in his hands," stated Paul VI.
"Arms, and especially the terrible arms that modern science has provided you, engender bad dreams, feed evil sentiments, create nightmares, hostilities, and dark resolutions even before they cause any victims and ruins."
In addition to the UN meeting, Paul VI also presided over a mass held at Yankee Stadium and visited then President Lyndon B. Johnson, where he urged him to halt the troop buildup in Vietnam.
