VATICAN CITY, JUNE 24, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI received today in audience the prime minister of Montenegro, Igor Luksic, who signed a Basic Agreement with the Holy See confirming the «excellent» relations between the two states.
A Vatican communiqué reported that the «cordial» discussions focused primarily on the accord, which the prime minister signed after meeting with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope’s secretary of state, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for relations with states.
The note released by the Vatican press office stated that the agreement «concerns, in particular, the juridical status of the Catholic Church and of her main institutions within civil society, and confirms the excellent relations between the Holy See and Montenegro which have existed since the country first gained its independence.»
Cardinal Bertone and Luksic also exchanged opinions «on the current international situation, in the perspective of European and Euro-Atlantic integration,» and the «commitment of the Montenegrin government to promoting peace and harmony among the different peoples and religious confessions present in the country.»
