November 19, 2010. The Pope will travel to his homeland of Germany in September of 2011, announced by the president of the German Bishops' Conference, Robert Zollitsch.  Benedict XVI will visit Berlin, Freiburg, and Erfurt in the eastern part of the country. This is the first official visit that the Pope has made to Germany and comes at the request of their president, Christian Wulff. He therefore plans to speak to all citizens and not just Catholics.


Benedict XVI also traveled to Germany in 2005, shortly after being elected pope to attend World Youth Day. On that occasion he unofficially visited Cologne and Bavaria.  

This will be the third planned trip for the Pope in 2011. The first is set for Croatia on the 4 and 5 of June. In August he will travel to Spain for the World Youth Day in Madrid, and in September he will head back to Germany.

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