Saudi King to visit Pope on November 6
Posted by: "Rupert J. Vaz" [EMAIL PROTECTED] rupertjvaz Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:25 pm (PST) Saudi king to visit Pope on November 6 Vatican, Oct. 31, 2007 (CWNews.com) - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will meet with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on November 6. The meeting between a Saudi king and a Roman Pontiff is unprecedented. The Holy See does not have formal diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi regime places harsh restrictions on all Christian worship. ------------ --------- VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah will meet Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday in the first encounter between a pope and a Saudi monarch, the Vatican said. Abdullah is on a European tour and Benedict has been trying to increase dialogue between Catholics and Muslims. The pope also plans to meet the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, in December, Italian news agencies reported Wednesday. The Vatican and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations, but the Holy See has ties with many other Islamic nations. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam that rejects the possibility of diplomatic relations with a Christian entity. This interpretation would prohibit a Vatican embassy in Saudi Arabia on the grounds it would be equivalent to raising the cross inside the site of Islam's holiest places. It is forbidden to practice Christianity inside Saudi Arabia, and it is illegal to bring symbols from religions other than Islam into the country. Bibles and crosses, for instance, are confiscated at the border. The Vatican has repeatedly stressed its demands for "reciprocity" meaning that countries such as Saudi Arabia should ease limits on worship by Christians and other non-Muslims. Church relations with Muslims were badly strained last year after a speech by the pontiff that linked Islam to violence. Benedict later said he regretted that Muslims were offended by his remarks, and the Vatican has since tried to improve relations with Muslims. ------------ ---- VATICAN CITY (AFP) ROME: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia will make an unprecedented visit to the Vatican next week, the Popes press office announced yesterday. Abdullah, currently on a state visit to Britain, will have an audience with Pope Benedict XVI on November 6. It will be the first time a Saudi king has visited the Vatican and the two states do not have diplomatic relations. Abdullah will meet Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi later that day, the chair of the cabinet announced. Last month the Pope met the Saudi foreign minister at his summer residence outside Rome to discuss the Middle East and the defence of religious and moral values as well as the political and religious situation in Saudi Arabia ------------ --------- VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict will meet Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah next week for talks expected to centre on Christian-Islam relations, the Vatican said on Wednesday. The first talks between a Saudi monarch and a pope will take place on Tuesday. The king, currently in Britain, will be in Italy to meet government officials. The Vatican does not have formal diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and relations have been strained. The Vatican has often called for greater rights for the tiny Christian minority there. The Christians, mostly guest workers, are not allowed to practice their faith in public, the Vatican says. Abdullah is custodian of the mosques in the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, sites of pilgrimages by millions of Muslims every year. Muslims around the world protested last year after Benedict, speaking at a university in his native Germany, used a quote that associated Islam with violence. He said he was misunderstood and later expressed his esteem for Muslims. http://aa.mg2.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.rand=ci68vju2hc6sq Sanny de Quepem <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
