Just back from his trip to Australia's Youth Festival, whispers from the Vatican are now centering on a potential trip to Arabia for Pope Benedict. Earlier this month, Bahrain's King Hamad was the first Arab head of state to invite Pope Benedict XVI during a private audience.
A similar invitation last year came from Qatar's prime minister last year.
The visit would be particularly welcomed by a growing number of Christian workers who now make up 35 percent of Bahrain's population.
As more and more Muslims move into Christian countries, there is also a reverse immigration movement.
The Christian worker population in the United Arab Emirates has now reached an astounding 80 percent.
Even in Kuwait, some 60 percent of the population is comprised of Christians. The new Christian immigrants come from Asia, the Philippines, and southern India.
In Saudi Arabia alone, there are as many as 1.2 million Filipino Catholics.
None of that means, however, that being a Christian in Arabia is comfortable.
There are only 20 parishes in all of Bahrain.
Most of the priests in that country are Capuchin friars, and the government won't allow more churches to be built.
If the trip actually takes place, it will be a significant milestone, not just for the Catholic church, but for the world.
Pope Benedict will clearly be interested in prodding the government to allow for the building of more churches. Beyond that, the church will make a major effort to support Christian workers economically.
In what is one of the world's wealthiest regions, unskilled blue-collar foreign workers earn as little as $10 a day which is tantamount to living in squalid conditions that come close to indentured labor or modern day slavery.
Arab governments themselves, with tendencies towards modernity, would also benefit from a papal visit. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah convened a meeting just this past June of various heads of Islam to Mecca to discuss ways to promote interfaith dialogue.
This was followed by an interfaith meeting in Saudi Arabia with representatives of Christianity and Judaism.
These developments have already resulted in some modest advances towards religious freedom. Private Christian and other non-Muslim worship is now allowed to go unpunished.
If the trip did take place, Pope Benedict XVI would be the first head of the Catholic church to visit the region. Extremists, of course, will oppose it and Arab governments will have another reason to placate or suppress them.
Some say that when Islam built a mosque in Rome, the Vatican should have used that moment to demand more rights for Christian people in Muslim countries.
In any case, that opportunity has passed, but the direct intervention of Peter's successor in Arabia on behalf of Christians and Jews would be an important step in improving good will towards Muslims living in foreign countries.
For Pope Benedict himself, the historic visit would give new meaning to his papacy. When he was elected Pope, many observers believed that his advanced age would limit any real progress.
Each pope has a style of his own, a persona and an agenda, but many said, "Well, he is no Pope John Paul."
Indeed, he isn't, but the leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics is a powerful figure in his own right. In fact, this pope has already dispelled any concern about his age.
A visit to Arabia, however, would have future implications that would benefit the entire world.
From time to time, people wonder whether a pope is even necessary.
Interfaith dialogue about Christian unity often bogs down when it comes to a discussion on the role of the pope.
Medieval popes are raised as examples.
Yet, time and time again, we see how beneficial the role of the pope can be.
Tearing down the Berlin wall and the liberation of Poland are only recent examples.
No wonder that Catholics all around the world still say, "Long live the Pope!"
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