Pope Francis may visit Cuba this year

Pope Francis could travel to Cuba around the time of his September visit to the United States, the Vatican told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.

Recent popes have all sought an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which President Obama called on Congress to do in January. He’s begun to normalize diplomatic relations with the country, and met with President Raúl Castro last week during the Summit of the Americas.

{mosads}That meeting amounted to the most direct contact between leaders of the two countries in more than half a century.

The Obama administration has continued to move forward with its reset of the relationship with Cuba, with the State Department announcing Tuesday that it’s removing the island from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The pope’s visit would coincide with his trip to the U.S., where he’s expected to travel to New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Pope Francis is expected to meet with Obama during the visit and address a joint session of Congress.

No pontiff had been to Cuba in the island’s history until 1998, when Pope John Paul II gave a speech in the island chastising it for prohibiting freedom of religion while also calling on the international community to accept it.

“She needs to open herself to the world and the world needs to draw close to Cuba,” he said of Cuba, according to BBC News.

Pope Benedict XVI also traveled to the country in 2012, where he too called for the end of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. After his visit, Good Friday became a national holiday.