U.S. secretary of state meets Vatican counterpart, Italian official

Published: 2005-02-08

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- On her first visit to the Vatican and Italy as U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice was unable to meet with Pope John Paul II and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, as both men were ill. Rice instead had separate meetings Feb. 8 with the No. 2 Vatican official, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, and with Gianfranco Fini, Italy's deputy prime minister, as part of her seven-day tour of Europe and Israel. During a 45-minute closed-door meeting, Rice, Cardinal Sodano and other officials from the Holy See's Secretariat of State focused their talks on "various international problems," according to the Vatican's spokesman. They made "an exchange of opinions," particularly concerning the Holy Land, the Middle East and "the situation in other Asian countries," spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a written statement released a few hours after the meeting. "Attention was also given to the theme of religious freedom in various parts of the world" and "certain questions concerning bilateral relations were considered, reaffirming the will to collaborate in safeguarding and promoting spiritual values," the Vatican text said.

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