John Paul II and America

June 3, 2026 World News

Pope John Paul II, with the U.S. Capitol in the background, blesses the crowd gathered at the National Mall, where he celebrated Mass, on Oct. 7, 1979. Leaving the U.S. after his tour, the Pope said, “My final prayer is this: that God will bless America so that she may increasingly become, and truly be and long remain, ‘One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.’ God bless America.”

COMMENTARY: Spurred by his groundbreaking visit in 1979, the most influential Catholic in the 20th century had high hopes for the U.S.