Following the Pope and prime minister's discussion, delegations from the Vatican and Israel met for 20 minutes about the fundamental agreement that has been under discussion for some time. The agreement concerns tax exemptions church institutions, the granting of religious visas for priests and religious and the protection of Christians and their holy sites.
According to the Vatican's spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi, the Pope told the prime minister in their private meeting about his discussions on how to bring peace to the region with Jordan's King Abdullah II .
Netanyahu also visited with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak on Monday and earlier on Thursday made the short flight to Jordan to speak with King Abdullah II. During their short talk, Israel's prime minister told the Pope about his meeting with Mubarak, Fr. Lombardi said.