Vatican City - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah will meet Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday in the first encounter between a pope and a Saudi monarch, the Vatican said.
Abdullah is on a European tour and Benedict has been trying to increase dialogue between Catholics and Muslims.
The pope also plans to meet the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, in December, Italian news agencies reported Wednesday.
The Vatican and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations, but the Holy See has ties with many other Islamic nations.
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam that rejects the possibility of diplomatic relations with a Christian entity. This interpretation would prohibit a Vatican embassy in Saudi Arabia on the grounds it would be equivalent to raising the cross inside the site of Islam's holiest places.
It is forbidden to practice Christianity inside Saudi Arabia, and it is illegal to bring symbols from religions other than Islam into the country. Bibles and crosses, for instance, are confiscated at the border.
The Vatican has repeatedly stressed its demands for "reciprocity" _ meaning that countries such as Saudi Arabia should ease limits on worship by Christians and other non-Muslims.
Church relations with Muslims were badly strained last year after a speech by the pontiff that linked Islam to violence. Benedict later said he regretted that Muslims were offended by his remarks, and the Vatican has since tried to improve relations with Muslims.
The Apcom and ANSA news agencies, quoting unidentified Vatican sources, said the Vatican audience with the Dalai Lama is planned for Dec. 13.
Benedict met with the leader a year ago, but the Vatican insisted it was a "private" visit and provided no details.
The meeting is likely to add a chill to the Vatican's difficult relations with China, which forced its Roman Catholics to cut ties with the Vatican in 1951, shortly after the officially atheist Communist Party took power. Worship is allowed only in the government-controlled churches, which appoint their own priests and bishops.
The Dalai Lama's recent meetings with President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have drawn rebukes from Beijing.
Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking to split Tibet from China, but insists he seeks only autonomy for the region, which China has occupied since 1951.