Roman Catholic head Pope Benedict XVI will meet Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah next week for talks expected to center on Christian-Islam relations, the Vatican said Wednesday.
The talks, the first between a Saudi monarch and a pope, will take place next Tuesday. Abdullah, 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 small Christian minority there.
The Christians, mostly guest workers, are not allowed to practice their faith in public, the Vatican says....