Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Saud Al Faisal, visited the Vatican on Friday, according to a Holy See press statement released today.Prince Al Faisal, together with a delegation, met with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and other dicastery officials.
During the meeting, the statement read, views were exchanged on the follow-up note to the Madrid Conference (16-18 July 2008) – an initiative of Saudi’s King Abdullah which brought together interreligious leaders from around the world.
Prince Al Faisal was last here in 2007 when he helped pave the way for King Abdullah’s historic visit to the Pope later that year. On that occasion, Al Faisal had a private and low-key meeting with the Holy Father.
His visit this time is the latest attempt by the Muslim world to engage with the Vatican – a pattern of improving relations that accelerated after the Pope’s Regensburg address in 2006.
What's interesting about this meeting is that it may signify greater religious freedom for Christians in Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah has already made private worship easier, stopping religious police from cracking down on prayer meetings in houses. But it's perhaps stretching it to suggest Al Faisal's visit yesterday will lead to churches being built in the country. That's something that's decades away, if not more.
