ROME, 6 November 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was given a red carpet welcome at Rome airport by Prime Minister Romano Prodi and senior Italian officials as he arrived here yesterday on a two-day visit on the second leg of his landmark European tour.
During the royal visit, Saudi Arabia and Italy will sign a series of bilateral agreements including on combating terrorism and organized crimes, sources told Arab News.
King Abdullah will meet Pope Benedict XVI as part of his efforts to promote dialogue between cultures.
Interior Minister Prince Naif described the anti-terror pact to be signed with Italy as a comprehensive security agreement that covers the combating of terrorism, drugs and money laundering as well as repatriating criminals and the exchange of security information.
King Abdullah, who arrived from Geneva, was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, intelligence chief Prince Muqrin, Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf and Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani.
The king will meet with the pope at the Vatican. The talks will be the first ever between a Saudi king and a pope, and is expected to focus on Islam-Christian relations and the need for believers of all faiths to work together for peace.
The meeting between a pope and a Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques is important for its symbolism, says Mario Scajola, who heads the Italian branch of the Saudi-based World Muslim League.
The meeting, which comes at the behest of Abdullah, is an example of his “illuminated reign,” said Scajola, a former Italian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, who converted to Islam in 1987.
King Abdullah has introduced reforms including elevating women to important positions in the business and diplomatic fields, Scajola said.
The Vatican meeting offers Benedict an opportunity to be seen engaging in dialogue with a top representative of Islam. In September last year, the pope triggered controversy while delivering a speech in Germany when he associated Islam with violence, sparking protests by Muslims around the world. The pontiff has since made some amends, first by stating that his words had been misinterpreted and that he meant no disrespect to Muslims and then by a visit last November to Turkey where he stopped to pray in Istanbul’s main Blue Mosque becoming the second pope after John Paul II to enter a Muslim house of worship.
Today he may have another chance to show the world his intention to heal relations with Islam.
