Pope plans to visit Mexico and Cuba in spring 2012
November 10, 2011
Last week, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI is considering taking a trip to Mexico and Cuba next spring. Fox News reports that Mexico is rapidly gaining speed on Brazil and could soon overtake the South American nation as the world's largest catholic population.
"The expectation of the Mexican people is well known, the Pope is aware of this and is happy to finally be able to respond," said Friar Federico Lombardi, according to The Vatican Today.
The details are being hammered out as Vatican officials make calls to Mexico and Cuba to plan the trip. Pope Benedict XVI is 85 years old and is quickly growing frail, as people often do in the later years of their lives. As such, Fox reports that the majority of his travels have been restricted to Europe, but he did visit Brazil in 2007.
Former Pope John Paul II took four trips to the Latin nations during his time as the Catholic leader. His initial trip in 1979 was the first time any pope had crossed the atlantic to visit with overseas worshippers.
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