Pope Received Djukanovic and his Wife

Pope Benedict XVI received Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and his wife Lidija on Monday in the Vatican.

At the beginning of the meeting, Pope paid Djukanovic an "award for his commitment to peace". The meeting behind closed doors lasted about 25 minutes, the Italian agency Ansa reports.

According to Vatican radio, the two exchanged opinions on questions concerning current affairs, as well as on the situation in the region.

This was the first meeting of the Montenegrin prime minister with the Pope.

At the end of the meeting the Montenegrin Prime Minister gave the Pope a picture by a modern Montenegrin artist showing Christ's crucifixion while the Roman Catholic head gave him a pen with engraved columns of Italian architect Bernini on it.

The prime minister subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.

A meeting which was scheduled for Djukanovic to meet his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi remains uncertain since Berlusconi is still in hospital.