2007-11-07 14:04:33

Pope and Saudi King Hold Historic Meeting


(Nov. 7, 2007) Pope Benedict XVI and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah held a historic meeting on Tuesday and discussed the situation of minority Christians in the Islamic country where the Vatican wants them to have more freedom. At the first meeting between a Pope and a Saudi monarch, the two also discussed the need for greater collaboration between Christians, Muslims and Jews and discussed the prospects for a Middle East peace. They spoke for about 30 minutes in the Pontiff's private study in what both the Vatican and reporters described as a cordial atmosphere.
The Vatican wants greater rights for the 1 million Catholics who live in Saudi Arabia, most of them migrant workers who are not allowed to practice their religion in public. They also discussed inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, justice and spiritual and moral values, especially those which support the family". The Pope and the king also discussed the Middle East, particularly the need to find "a just solution to the conflicts that afflict the region, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian.
The King subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
Vatican maintains diplomatic relations with 176 states and institutions, including many in the Islamic world, but a Vatican official said Saudi Arabia has never asked for such a relationship. The issue of diplomatic relations between the countries, which still have no formal ties, was not raised during the talks.







All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.