According to the bishops of the Dominican Republic, the Pope will travel to the island in 2011. It will be the second time Pope Benedict XVI has visited Latin America, in 2007 he visited Brazil.
The main reason for this visit is the 500th anniversary of the founding of the first diocese in America. The Pope declared 2011 the Jubilee Year.
Dominican Republic President, Leonel Fernandez , visited Benedict XVI in May and invited him to visit the country.
If confirmed, it will be the fourth time the Pope has visited visits the island. John Paul II visited on three occasions. The last was in 1992 when it celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America.
