(raw) Reuters Nov. 6 - Pope Benedict and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah held a historic meeting and discussed the situation of minority Christians in the Islamic country.

It was the first meeting between a Pope and a Saudi monarch, custodian of two of Islam's holiest shrines.

The Vatican wants greater rights for the some 1 million Catholics who live in the Saudi Arabia, most of them migrant workers who are not allowed to practice their religion in public.

At the end of the meeting, the king gave the Pope a gold and silver sword studded with precious jewels, in keeping with a bedouin custom the Saudis follow when foreign leaders visit their country.

The king also presented Benedict with a small silver and gold statue depicting a palm tree and a man riding a camel.