PM goes to Italy, but unlikely to meet Pope

PM goes to Italy, but unlikely to meet Pope
HARISH GUPTA

JUNE 24: Will Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee go to Rome and not meet the Pope? Indian officials are working hard to ensure this does not happen as this could send wrong signals about the BJP's attitude towards Christians. But the hitch lies in squeezing in a visit by the prime minister to the Vatican during a hectic two-day trip beginning on the afternoon of June 25. The Pope meets dignitaries only in the morning.

A tentative programme finalised by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in consultation with the Italian authorities and Ministry of External Affairs officials clearly indicates that Vajpayee may not be able to meet the Pope.

Though the PM arrives in Rome on Sunday afternoon, his first official engagement is on Monday morning when he meets Italian President Carlo A Ciampi. Next he will leave for Villa Madama to meet Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato. The two leaders will address a joint press conference later in the day.

After a hectic schedule of meetings with Italian businessmen and industrialists throughout the evening, Vajpayee would retire for the day and leave for Lisbon early next morning.

A senior official in the PMO said, ``No inference should be drawn if the PM does not meet the Pope. Nothing should be read otherwise too.''