VATICAN CITY
New Kerala
[World News]: By ERIC J.LYMAN VATICAN CITY, March 4 : Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Sodano asked U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to intervene on the behalf of the Holy See during Rice's recent visit to Rome, a request that Rice declined.
Speculation that such requests are commonly made behind closed doors is common, but confirmation is unusual.The story of Sodano's request was first brought to light by theAbuse Tracker on Friday and confirmed to United Press International by Vatican sources.
The request came on Feb. 8, a time that 84-year-old Pope John Paul II, who is already slowed by severe arthritis and Parkinson's disease was forced to cancel his meeting with Rice while in the hospital for breathing-related problems.The aged pontiff left the hospital two days after that, but re-entered on Feb. 24 and has been in intensive care since then after undergoing an emergency tracheotomy to relieve serious breathing problems.