Of the 195 countries recognized worldwide by the United Nations, the Vatican has diplomatic ties with 184. Saudi Arabia is among the few not on the list. But that does not mean that there are no small gestures that speak for themselves.
One is this. The Vatican Library has announced that it will participate in the Biennial of Islamic Arts, in Saudi Arabia. It will do so with the exhibition of important works that, to this day, are held in the various collections housed in its historic archives.
Although without further details, what is known is that one of the lines will be "the art of numbers" in its various facets, from history to the present day. It is to be expected that the Vatican's contribution will be in line with this theme.
This year it will take place here, in a terminal at King Abdulaziz Airport. There is a reason for this: it is the most important in terms of the number of people it receives. Every year, it welcomes millions of travelers from all over the world on their way to Mecca, the cradle of Islam.
On the importance of this gesture, which could be described as pre-diplomatic, Angelo Zani, archivist of the Vatican Library, said in a press release that it is a significant project that seeks to build bridges, as well as a concrete opportunity for fraternity.
Despite not maintaining official ties, Pope Francis, was at the Vatican in 2017 with the advisor to the Minister for Islamic Affairs in Saudi Arabia, in what was considered a historic meeting.
TR: JD
