Najib to meet the Pope on July 18

KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is set to become the nation's second prime minister to meet the head of the Roman Catholic church.

He is scheduled to meet Pope Benedict XVI during his brief visit to Rome on July 18, a senior government official said yesterday.

Although Rome is an official trip, the Prime Minister's meeting with Pope Benedict would be in his personal capacity, said the official.

However, he declined to say whether the meeting between Najib and the Pope was aimed at paving the way for the establishment of diplomatic ties between Malaysia and the Holy See.

“The Vatican is a nation in its own right and has established diplomatic ties with many countries.

“I cannot see any reason why Malaysia should not have similar ties with the Vatican.

“It will be good for the country as it will boost Malaysia's standing as a progressive and moderate Muslim nation,” said a highly-placed source.

Officials said Najib would be accompanied by several ministers during the one-day visit.

Malaysia is among 17 nations that has no formal relations with the Vatican. The others include nine Muslim countries and four communist governments.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became the nation's first leader to meet the head of the Catholic church on June 6, 2002.

Dr Mahathir later described his meeting with the late Pope John Paul II as fruitful as he was able to present Malaysia's views on global issues, terrorism in the Middle East and make a plea for an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.