Czech PM to visit Vatican

Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer is to visit Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on November 13 and 14, the government announced on Thursday. Talks are likely to focus on the treaty between the Vatican and Czech Republic negotiated at the end of the 1990’s but still not ratified. The lower house of parliament refused approval in 2003. The treaty would aim to update relations between church and state in areas such as education, healthcare, cultural and social affairs. The Vatican has already said that it will not press its demands for compensation for assets confiscated by the former Communist regime due to the current economic crisis.