Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet with Pope Benedict XVI
for the first time during his two-day visit to Italy this week, his
office said last Thursday.
Medvedev is expected to discuss security and cooperation with Italian
President Giorgio Napolitano and Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi in meetings on February 16-17 before his meeting with the
Pontiff.
Then President Vladimir Putin visited the Vatican in 2007 to discuss
ways to improve ties between the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox
churches.
Neither Pope Benedict nor his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, ever visited post-communist Russia.
2011 has been designated a year of cultural exchanges between Russia and Italy.