Vatican's No. 2 official plans visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan next month

The Vatican's No. 2 official plans to visit Armenia and Azerbaijan next month for meetings with Catholics and talks with Orthodox Christian and Muslim leaders in the two former Soviet republics, the Vatican said Tuesday.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, wants to underline that Pope Benedict XVI feels close to the Catholic minority in the two countries, according to a Vatican statement. The trip is set for March 2-9.

Bertone, now making a visit to Cuba, will meet with Karekin II, leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to stress the desire for closer relations. He will also meet with a Muslim leader in Azerbaijan to express the Catholic Church's commitment to work together for peace, the statement said.

/International Herald Tribune/