Italy:Inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue were at the centre of talks between Pope Benedict XVI and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in the Vatican yesterday. This historic first meeting between a pontiff and a reigning Saudi monarch took place in what the Vatican described as a "cordial atmosphere" which provided "an opportunity to consider questions close to the heart of both sides".
King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, custodian of the sacred mosques of Mecca and Medina, is on the third leg of a European tour which has already taken him to the UK and Switzerland and which concludes with visits to Germany and Turkey.
Yesterday's meeting came just one year after Benedict's controversial address at Regensburg university in Germany when he quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor who said the Prophet Muhammad had brought only "evil and inhuman" things.
The pope later expressed his regrets for any offence his words may have caused while relations between the Catholic Church and Islam were greatly improved with his high-profile visit to Turkey last November, during which Benedict stopped to pray in Istanbul's Blue Mosque. Yesterday's meeting comes just one month after 138 Muslim clerics and scholars from around the world wrote to the pope, appealing to him and other Christian leaders "to make peace", arguing that "the future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians".
The official Vatican communique issued after yesterday's meeting mentioned the "positive and industrious presence of Christians" in Saudi Arabia. This may well be diplomat-speak for Vatican concerns about the lack of religious freedom afforded the 1.2 million Christians, many of them Filipinos. In Saudi Arabia, Christians are allowed to worship only in private places, usually their homes. The Vatican has repeatedly called for greater rights for Christians in predominantly Muslim countries.