The Pope announced that he will go to Mexico and Cuba before the next Easter

Pope Benedict XVI announced yesterday personally in the Vatican who will travel to Mexico and Cuba "before" the next Easter, probably in the second half of the month of March 2012.

"I have the intention to undertake an apostolic journey before santa Easter Mexico and Cuba, for there to proclaim the word of Christ and strengthen the conviction that this is a precious time to evangelize with a strong faith, a living hope and burning charity," said the Pope at the mass of the bicentenary of the independence of Latin American countries and the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The announcement did so before numerous Latin American Cardinals body diplomats from those countries and thousands of faithful who attended in the Basilica of St. Peter to the mass and welcomed the news with strong applause.

Benedict, 84-year-old entrusted his trip to "the loving mediation of Santa María de Guadalupe, our mother from the sky", as well as u000acurrent destinations of the Latin American and Caribbean Nations "and the road are traveling toward a tomorrow better".

Although there is no official confirmation, Vatican sources stated to Efe that it will be in the second half of March, presumably from 23 to 28 March. Holy week begins the 1 of April

This will be the second trip of Pope Ratzinger to Latin America, after which led him to Brazil in 2007, and the first two countries in Spanish of this area.

Already on 10 November, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, said that the nuncios in Mexico and Cuba, the archbishops Christophe Pierre and Bruno Musaro, had received orders to report to the civil and religious authorities of the intentions of the Pope, invited on various occasions to conduct these visits.

In recent times, from different Latin American embassies to the Holy See was expressed to the Pope and the Vatican desire u000aof travel to that area, bearing in mind that the majority of the Catholics of the area speaks Spanish.

And it is that, although the first trip to Latin America made it in 2007 to preside over the General of the Latin American Bishops (CELAM), Conference V where the vast majority of countries that conform are of Spanish, in Brazilian Aparecida shrine was a nation - Brazil - speaking Portuguese.

During the audience granted the Pope the past October 7 in the Vatican to the directors of the CELAM, the prelates expressed you also that desire, also taking care that in 2013 you plan to travel back to Brazil to preside over in Rio de Janeiro the day world of youth.

Lombardi stressed on those dates that are "well known" the wishes of the Mexican people that Benedict XVI to visit the country where he lives the largest number of Catholics in the Spanish speaking world and Ratzinger is "eager" to comply with this u000alonging.

The Pontiff convened for 2009 the 6th World meeting of families in city of Mexico and it was hoped that he had traveled to Mexico City, but due to the altitude and precaution towards his health, doctors are so desaconsejaron.

For Mexicans was a disappointment and now, three years later, will see another Pope - the second in history - step on the land of the Virgin of Guadalupe, after five trips made by Pope John Paul II (1978, 1990, 1993, 1999 and 2002).

Lombardi also said that Cuba is one of the countries you want "a lot" to visit Pope Benedict XVI, who has not forgotten the historic trip of John Paul II to the island in 1998, where she delivered the now historic phrase "That Cuba open to the world and the world to Cuba".

Visit to Cuba will coincide with the fourth anniversary of the discovery of the Virgin of the charity of copper, the patron saint of the island.

At the moment unaware of the stages of the voyage, according to Lombardi, will be There was an error deserializing the object of type System.String. Encountered unexpected character '.'.

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