List of pastoral visits of Pope Benedict XVI
With an average of three foreign journeys per year from 2006 to 2009, Pope Benedict XVI was as active in visiting other countries as his predecessor, John Paul II, was at the same age from 1999 to 2002. Pope Benedict was more active since then, however, making five foreign journeys each in both 2010 and 2011, significantly more than the six total trips made by Pope John Paul II at the same age in 2003 and 2004. As of the 2012 apostolic journey to Mexico and Cuba, Pope Benedict XVI is older  than Pope John Paul II was at the time of his death and is now the oldest Pope to travel outside Europe, as well as being the oldest Pope to travel to Africa, Asia (including the Middle East), Australia, or the Americas. Most of these trips involved the Pope giving speeches on issues that play an important role in the region that he visited, especially on education, contraceptives, abortion, and what it means to be Catholic.