United States presidential visits to Australia and New Zealand United States presidential visits to Australia and New Zealand Several United States presidents have made presidential visits to Australia and New Zealand. The first visit by an incumbent to these Australasian nations was made in 1966 by Lyndon B. Johnson. His three-day five-city visit to Australia was intended as a show of gratitude to the Australian nation for its then emphatic support for the Vietnam War. Four presidents have traveled there since. Prior to arriving in Australia, Johnson visited New Zealand. He went primarily to shore up support for the war in Vietnam. Only one sitting president has visited since.
Pope Francis's visit to the Philippines Pope Francis's visit to the Philippines Pope Francis made a state visit to the Philippines from January 15 to 19, 2015. He was the third pontiff to visit the Philippines, after Paul VI and John Paul II, and the first in the 21st century and 3rd millennium with the last visit by John Paul II in 1995. Besides Manila, Francis visited Tacloban and Palo, Leyte, to encourage the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). John Paul II had also gone beyond Manila to Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Legazpi, Bataan, and Baguio, from February 17 to 22, 1981. The Filipinos nicknamed Francis