Benedict XVI has visited the region once before, traveling to Brazil, home to the world鈥檚 largest Catholic population, in May 2007.
The pope鈥檚 visit was marred, however, by two controversial comments. First, on May 9, Benedict agreed with Mexican bishops鈥� desire to , reports TIME. But perhaps more damaging was a statement he made during a May 13 speech to Latin American bishops in Brazil, when he implied that brought by the colonists, reports Reuters.
鈥淭he proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbian cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture,鈥� he said, without noting forced conversions and violence brought about by colonizing Catholics, reports TIME.
As a result, numerous indigenous groups protested across the Americas and demanded an apology from the pope, which he eventually gave.
