It was 1965 when a pope arrived for the first time at the UN headquarters in New York.
Pope Paul VI visited during his trip to the United States. The pontiff took the podium to deliver a strong political speech.
PAUL VI
The peoples of the world look to the United Nations as the ultimate pledge of harmony and peace: we dare to bring here, with ours, their tribute of honor and hope.
Pope Paul VI was not the only pontiff to visit the organization.
Pope John Paul II did the same in 1995. He was greeted by a group of children of different nationalities. He entered to a long-lasting ovation.
In front of politicians from all over the world, Pope John Paul II spoke about religion.
JOHN PAUL II
The United Nations organization accepts and respects the religious and moral dimension of the human problems addressed by the Church.
Pope Benedict XVI spoke before the UN in 2008, his speech making all of the politicians stand up and applaud as well...
His words at the UN followed the same line as those of his predecessor.
BENEDICT XVI
It should never be necessary to disavow God in order to enjoy one's rights. The rights associated with religion need protection, especially if they are seen to be in conflict with the prevailing secular ideology or with positions of a religious majority of an exclusive nature.
And, finally, Pope Francis visited the UN in 2015. His speech was a powerful social discourse. He claimed before world leaders the right to housing, decent work, access to water and religious freedom. He also spoke about the environment.
POPE FRANCIS
The abuse and destruction of the environment, at the same time, are accompanied by an unstoppable process of exclusion. Indeed, a selfish and unlimited desire for power and material well-being leads both to abuse of available material resources and to the exclusion of the weak.
Although the first pope spoke at the UN in 1965, it was a year earlier that the Holy See became a permanent observer to the organization. Sixty years have passed since then.
CA
TR: JD
