Eugenio Pacelli's 1936 visit to the United States
Catholic Cardinal's visit to the USA / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli (the soon-to-be Pope Pius XII) visited the United States for two weeks in October–November 1936 as Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. At the time, Pacelli was the highest-ranking Catholic official ever to visit the US.[1] Although he did not visit the US as Pope, he was the first Pope who visited the US at any time in his life.
Pacelli met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, investigated Roosevelt's radio critic Rev. Charles Coughlin, and visited New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, Saint Paul, MN, and Chicago.[2] The media nicknamed Pacelli "The Flying Cardinal" due to his five-day coast-to-coast air tour.[3][4] Pacelli planned to silence Coughlin for Roosevelt in exchange for his support against Communism and, more importantly, in an attempt to achieve diplomatic recognition of the sovereignty of Vatican City.[5]
Monsignor Giuseppe Pizzardo, the Secretary of Extraordinary Affairs, served as acting Secretary of State during Pacelli's absence.[2] Pope Pius XI also cut short his vacation at Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican during Pacelli's absence.[2]