On August 24, 1968, Bermuda welcomed Pope Paul VI during what remains the island’s only papal visit to date.
The historic visit came as Pope Paul VI was returning from Bogotá, Colombia, where he had attended the 39th International Eucharistic Congress. The Vatican’s official record describes Bermuda as a stop on his return journey, with the Pope saying he was pleased that the trip allowed him to visit the islands.
Addressing those who had come to welcome him, Pope Paul VI spoke warmly of Bermuda, and concluded his remarks by saying: May God bless all of you who have come to meet Us. May He bless your homes and all whom you hold dear. And before We leave these islands of the Atlantic, so distant on the map, yet so close to Our heart, We lovingly impart Our special blessing to you and to your spiritual and temporal leaders, praying that God may abundantly bestow on Bermuda the blessings of true peace and prosperity.”
More than half a century later, the August 24, 1968 visit retains a unique place in Bermuda’s history, with no other sitting Pope having made a visit to the island since.
