President Leonel Fernandez is expected back in Santo Domingo today, 25 Monday, after a weekend visit to Italy to attend the inaugural of Pope Benedicto XVI. President Fernandez left on Friday evening and arrived in Rome on Saturday, via a stopover in Madrid. Upon arriving, he visited the tomb of former Pope John Paul II, the St. Peter’s Basilica. In the evening, he attended a reception hosted by Ambassador Rafael Marion-Landais. On Sunday, he attended mass. After the mass he participated in a ceremony when the new Pope greeted the attending heads of state in the interior of the Basilica, including the Argentina President Nestor Kitchner, Chile President Ricardo Lagos, Colombia President Alvaro Uribe and El Salvador President Elias Antonio Saca.