VATICAN CITY, NOV. 11, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Saudi Arabian king's visit to Benedict XVI was a big step toward an improved relationship between that country and the Holy See, says the director of the Vatican press office.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi analyzed during this week's edition of the Vatican television show "Octava Dies" the first-ever visit of a Saudi king to a Pontiff
The Holy Father's Tuesday meeting with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud "caught the attention of a good part of the world’s media and was read everywhere as a positive sign," the Holy See’s spokesman explained.
According to Father Lombardi, King Abdullah, 84, who is the custodian of the mosques of Mecca and Medina, "asked to be received by the highest authority of the Catholic Church to promote in common accord religious and moral values and peace in a world where irreligion and moral disorientation are causes of degradation, and where violence and war continue to rage."
Father Lombardi added: "The intention is noble; the fact that in the perspective of dialogue and commitment, the Jews were also considered is highly laudable.
"At the same time we know well that unlike other countries of the Arabian peninsula, there is no religious freedom in Saudi Arabia for the more than 1 million Christians who reside there for work-related reasons."
"The presence [of these Christians] was discreetly mentioned to the illustrious guest," Father Lombardi affirmed. "For the moment there was no discussion of diplomatic relations. But this did not impede a meeting for understanding and knowing each other better. If we do not begin, we will never arrive."
The spokesman recalled that the king was already received by Pope John Paul II when he was still a hereditary prince. "He knew well that the Holy See is always ready to welcome those who come with intentions of peace. But this time his action as king was much more significant -- it is not for nothing that the stop at the Vatican was the most awaited and watched of his European trip."
Father Lombardi called the meeting "a contribution to overcoming the distances."
"The tensions that followed Regensburg are further and further away," he added. "The Pope is appreciated and understood in his consistency and steadfastness."
