Heaven this side of Earth
Recruiting the Vatican to participate in the Fair might have been a long shot for Robert Moses, the president of the Fair, had the Vatican not already participated in the Brussels World’s Fair of 1958. The Vatican pavilion, as well as the Brussels Fair itself, signaled some of the trends and tensions that would surface five years later in New York. Strategically, the Vatican Pavilion was located smack dab between the United States pavilion on one side and the Soviet Union on the other. In the Cold War battle for hearts and minds, this was an opportunity not to be missed.
But now, with far more pressing needs in the archdiocese, Spellman was reluctant to spend large sums on a presence at the New York fair. Furthermore, he knew that the burden of a Vatican pavilion would fall squarely on his shoulders. He couldn’t say ‘no’ to the pope, but oh dear Lord, what a headache! Spellman would raise the needed funds on the condition the Pope approved the loan of the Pietà. On March 29, 1962, the New York Times broke the news: the Pietà was coming to the Fair.