He made a historic apology for the wrongs done to Jews by Catholics over the centuries, and visited the Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem and the Western Wall on his trip to the Middle East in 2000.
Completed in 2009, this is Tres Hombre's fourth trade trip after previous voyages across western Europe, the Caribbean and even delivering relief aid to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
Like many a Western visitor, I came home from my trip with my eyes opened to the enormity of the challenges, and the immensity of the opportunities, centered around a fast-changing China.