Saakashvili to visit Vatican and meet with the Pope

Benedict XVI will give an audience to Mikheil Saakashvili, the President of Georgia.

The Georgian leader will arrive in Vatican on May 7th. It will be the first meeting of the Georgian leader, elected in January 2004, with the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

There're about 30 000 Catholics in Georgia [0.8 per cent of the 4 mln population]. 83 per cent of Georgians are orthodox, about 10 per cent - Muslims.

The nuncio has been present in Georgia since 1993; since 1997 - the Apostolic administrator, heading the Catholic community of the country. In 1999 John Paul II visited Georgia on invitation of the then President Eduard Shevardnadze and Catholicos Patriarch Ilia II.

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