VATICAN CITY, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Pope Francis met Thursday with King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan in an audience at the Vatican.
Abdullah also held a discussion with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, and Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, secretary of state for international relations, Vatican Radio reported.
Francis thanked the king for arranging a conference, to be held in Amman in September, on the role of Christians in Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East. The conference will focus on the challenges facing Christians during the current turmoil in many countries.
Other topics included the restart of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and the Syrian crisis. The pope said dialogue between all parties in Syria is the only way forward for the country.
