Pope Benedict XVI Faces Toughest Visit Yet

Pope Benedict starts his most difficult visit yet to his German homeland on Thursday, touring mostly Protestant and atheist regions in the ex-communist east after previous visits to Catholic strongholds in the Rhineland and his native Bavaria.

The country's religious and political complexity presents challenges for the 84-year-old pontiff, who is German but radically out of step with the way his homeland has developed, especially since its reunification in 1990.