Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Cuba today after a three-day visit to Mexico. It’s his first time visiting both countries. During his visit to the island nation, the Pope says he hopes to build on the dialogue and cooperation ushered in by his predecessor, John Paul II — whose visit in 1998 was considered groundbreaking. How do locals feel about the current Pope’s visit? And what, exactly, is the Pope’s desired outcome of the visit? Sarah Rainsford, Havana correspondent for our partner the BBC, joins us from Cuba.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken issue with the Obama administration's healthcare bill, which requires all university and hospital insurance plans to cover contraception. Archbishop Timothy Dolan wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial that this provision infringes on personal freedoms, "coercing religious ministries and citizens to pay directly for actions that violate their teaching." However, two new recently released polls reveal that American Catholics are more supportive of contraception coverage in employer-provided insurance than non-Catholics.

On Sunday, Australia will have its own saint when Mary MacKillop, an Australian nun who died in 1909, is sanctified by the Vatican. We speak with former Newsweek religion editor Kenneth Woodward about Catholic hagiography, the process of becoming a saint, and why it took over 100 years for MacKillop. Woodward is the author of "Making Saints: How The Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes A Saint, Who Doesn't, And Why."

The appointment of Jose Gomez to lead the Los Angeles Archdiocese signals the Church's acknowledgement of the growing number of Latino followers and the importance to include the Latino population for the Church to thrive in America. Archbishop Gomez was born in Mexico and received his doctorate in theology in Spain, where he also was ordained as a priest of Opus Dei.  

When Pope Benedict XVI was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he did not defrock a priest who allegedly molested as many as 200 deaf boys over the course of decades, according to records obtained by The New York Times. 

Father Peter Hullerman, a German Catholic priest, was suspended Tuesday. He had been allowed to stay in a rectory to receive "therapy," after being accused of abusing an 11-year-old boy in 1980. The decision to finally suspend him came days after he returned from a camping trip with children.

• FINANCIAL TAKEOUT: There has been a lot of talk about financial reform, but today, there will be some action. Connecticut's Senator Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, unveils a new broad financial reform bill today. But will it be enough, and will it have support it needs to pass?  New York Times financial reporter Louise Story takes a look.
  
• SPORTS TAKEOUT: The NCAA Tournament brackets have been set, and Kansas University is the number one overall seed. Sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin talks college basketball, and helps us understand the major players at this stage in the game.

President Barack Obama will meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican today. Catholics supported President Obama in the U.S. during the elections— he won the majority of their votes. But there continues to be friction between Catholics and the president over the issue of abortion. Joining The Takeaway is BBC Rome Correspondent David Willey who is at the Vatican today. Also joining the conversation is Cathleen Kaveny, the John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law and Theology at Notre Dame University.

If we learned anything about our new President during his trip abroad this month, it's that his charm speaks all languages. But it seems that if President Obama wants to pick an ambassador to the Vatican, he may need to turn up the charm a notch. Our partners, the BBC, are reporting that the Vatican has informally vetoed three of Obama’s potential nominees for U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. For more we turn to David Willey, Rome correspondent for the BBC.