Pope receives King of Bahrain

Castel Gandolfo, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday met Bahrain's King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa thanking him for the "welcome he has shown to many Christian immigrants," a Vatican statement said. For his part, Al-Khalifa invited the pontiff to visit the mostly Muslim island-state of Bahrain. The pontiff, who since last week has been staying in his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo in the hills south of Rome, received the monarch for morning talks. Al-Khalifa also held a separate meetingwith the Vatican's equivalent of a foreign minister, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti. "In the course of the discussions, which took place in a cordial atmosphere," a Vatican statement said. The talksstressed the "importance of collaboration between Christians, Muslims and Jews for the promotion - in the Middle East and throughout the world... [read full story]