Kadafi Is in His Daily Prayers, John Paul Says

VATICAN CITY — Libya’s unofficial second in command, trying to help his country break out of isolation, Saturday met with Pope John Paul II, who said he includes Col. Moammar Kadafi in his daily prayers.

“Every day, I pray for Libya, specifically for President Kadafi,” said the pontiff, standing beside Maj. Abdel-Salam Jalloud after they emerged from their 30-minute private meeting. “I bless the Libyan people,” John Paul added as he left.

Vatican officials, as is customary for private audiences, would not comment on the contents of the discussion, which was the third meeting between the two and Jalloud’s fifth meeting with a Roman Catholic pontiff since the 1969 Libyan revolution.

The audience appeared to be the latest step in a Libyan campaign to court Western opinion and investment, which Italian newspapers have dubbed Kadafi’s “offensive of smiles.”

Jalloud, who arrived in Italy on Thursday, has met so far with Prime Minister Ciriaco De Mita, President Francesco Cossiga, Foreign Minister Giulio Andreotti and other political and business figures.

The Vatican does not have formal diplomatic relations with Libya but has maintained an occasional dialogue with the predominantly Muslim North African country, home to an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 Catholics--mostly foreign workers.