VATICAN CITY -- The Pope is soon to visit the Mosque of Rome, in an event that has been in the planning for around ten months.

 On Wednesday in the Vatican, in front of a general audience, the Pope will receive a delegation from the Mosque of Rome to formalise the planned visit. The event will take place as part of the Jubilee of Mercy, a celebration that Pope Francis reminded is common to both religions.

 The Wednesday meeting is hoped to decide the date of the anticipated visit. Representatives from the Muslim delegation will include the Imam Yahya Pallacivini, vice-president of the Coreis, Abdelah Redouane, director of the Italian Centre for Islamic Culture and head of the Mosque of Rome, as well as several ambassadors and a representative from the administrative council of the Great Mosque.

 Francis will be the first ever Pope to pay a visit to the Mosque of Rome.

 This meeting follows the Pope's Sunday visit to Rome's Synagogue, a significant event for both parties that was watched over by 800 policeman and armed guards.   ft