International Herald Tribune, France
Feb. 26, 2008
Vatican’s No. 2 official plans visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan next
month
The Associated PressPublished: February 26, 2008
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican’s No. 2 official plans to visit Armenia and
Azerbaijan next month for meetings with Catholics and talks with
Orthodox Christian and Muslim leaders in the two former Soviet
republics, the Vatican said Tuesday.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s secretary of state, wants to
underline that Pope Benedict XVI feels close to the Catholic minority
in the two countries, according to a Vatican statement. The trip is
set for March 2-9.
Bertone, now making a visit to Cuba, will meet with Karekin II,
leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to stress the desire for
closer relations. He will also meet with a Muslim leader in
Azerbaijan to express the Catholic Church’s commitment to work
together for peace, the statement said.