Sources: PA Chairman Abbas plans Vatican visit, meeting with Pope
Diplomatic sources say Abbas likely to visit Italy in first few days of December.
By ReutersROME - Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas plans to visit the Vatican soon to meet with Pope Benedict, diplomatic sources said on Saturday.
The two sources said Abbas would likely visit the Vatican and Italy in the first few days of December.
The centrepiece of his visit would be a meeting with Pope Benedict, who was elected last April.
President Moshe Katsav met the Pope last Thursday and invited him to visit Israel.
The late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat visited the Vatican several times for meetings with Benedict's predecessor, John Paul, who made an historic trip to Israel and Palestinian territories in 2000. The Vatican supports Israel's right to exist alongside a Palestinian homeland.
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