The 31st International Eucharistic Congress was held in Bogotá in August 1968 — the same week Pope Paul VI arrived in Colombia, making him the first reigning pontiff to set foot in Latin America. Colombia issued this gold piece to mark the occasion, and the congress itself drew an estimated one million pilgrims to a open-air Mass at the Finca La Aurora outside the city.
Paul VI's visit also coincided with the second CELAM conference, which produced the Medellín documents — a turning point for liberation theology across the continent.
The 31st International Eucharistic Congress was held in Bogotá in August 1968 — the same week Pope Paul VI arrived in Colombia, making him the first reigning pontiff to set foot in Latin America. Colombia issued this gold piece to mark the occasion, and the congress itself drew an estimated one million pilgrims to a open-air Mass at the Finca La Aurora outside the city.
Paul VI's visit also coincided with the second CELAM conference, which produced the Medellín documents — a turning point for liberation theology across the continent.