Pope Francis considering trip to Cuba

Pope Francis is considering visiting Cuba in September, the Vatican said Friday.

Rev. Federico Lombardi, a spokesman for the Vatican, said no decision about the trip — which could form part of the pope’s itinerary when he visits the United States in the autumn— has been made, but that it was being discussed.

The Wall Street Journal on Thursday first reported the possibility of the pope visiting Cuba later this year. Francis has been credited with having helped the U.S. and Cuba reach their recent historic rapprochement.

Pope Benedict XVI visited Cuba in 2012.

If the current pontiff’s visit goes ahead he would be the third pope to visit the Caribbean island-nation. Pope Saint John Paul II traveled to Cuba in 1998 and said “Cuba should “open itself up to the world, and may the world open itself up to Cuba.”

(From: USA Today)