Historic Saudi visit to Vatican

King Abdullah met Italian government officials during the trip

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is at the Vatican for what will be the first audience by the head of the Roman Catholic Church with a Saudi monarch.
The two sides have no diplomatic ties, though Abdullah met the late Pope John Paul II when he was crown prince.

Pope Benedict is expected to raise the issue of non-Muslim worship in the kingdom, which faces strict curbs.

Vatican sources said the agenda for talks would include the Middle East conflict and inter-faith dialogue.

Correspondents say the visit comes as relations between the Vatican and the Muslim world are improving, more than a year after the crisis caused by a papal speech appearing to associate Islam with violence.

The 84-year-old king is on the third leg of a European tour after London and Geneva. He will travel next to Germany and Turkey.