May 21, 2010. The pope thanked the president of the Dominican Republic for being the first in helping those affected by the earthquake in Haiti last January 12.

Leonel Fernández Reyna said he brought greetings from his country and presented to him the World Summit on the Future of Haiti which will start on June 2 in the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican leader gave his thanks to the pope for the “great contribution the Church makes to the development of the country, especially in the fields of education and healthcare.”

On his part, the pope emphasized the importance of continuing to promote politics in defense of human life, from conception until natural death.

The cordial visit lasted 20 minutes. Before he left, the Dominican president gave him a rosary from the country and invited him to visit the Dominican Republic, a country of 10 million residents, with 75 percent of them Catholic.

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