Pope Francis meets King Abdullah II for second time at Vatican

King Abdullah II of Jordan met Monday Pope Francis on his second visit to the Vatican to discuss bilateral efforts on the Middle East ahead of the head of the Roman Catholic Church''''s visit to Amman and Jerusalem in May. The talks between the King and the Pope, which were held behind closed doors, lasted 45 minutes, after that the visitor had received a warm welcome from Vatican''''s prime minister Cardinal Pietro Parolin and foreign minister Monsignor Dominique Mamberti. Following the talks, King Abdullah left in a hurry bound for his next stop, Vienna, Austria, missing out on the ceremonial farewell party usually offered by the Catholic Church to departing senior officials. King Abdullah will also make a stop in Moscow, Russia, where is expected to discuss the Syrian crisis with President Vladimir Putin. On the other hand, Pope Francis will head to Christian holy sites in Palestine via Jordan, on a three-day visit which starts on May 24, following a visit made by his predecessor Pope Paul VI around half a century ago