RIYADH: The head of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue recently visited the Vatican as part of a trip to promote interfaith cooperation. During his official visit, KAICIID Secretary-General Dr. Zuhair Al-Harthi met with Cardinal Ayuso Guixot, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and a member of center’s board of directors at the Vatican department. Al-Harthi thanked Guixot for his ongoing support for the center, and both highlighted the importance of interfaith dialogue and understanding. He also had talks with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the prime minister of the Vatican State, at his office in the Vatican. They discussed avenues of cooperation, ways to encourage dialogue, and the Pope’s visit to the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, in August. Parolin noted the key humanitarian role played by the center which, he said, provided a global platform for dialogue and the promotion of peaceful coexistence. And he wished the center success with its future mission in Portugal, its new host country. Al-Harthi and Parolin both pointed out the important role of religious leaders in helping to resolve societal challenges.