WORLD : Vatican, Romania to Renew Ties
The Vatican and Romania have decided to re-establish diplomatic relations after a 40-year break, the Vatican said today.
No date was given but papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro said it will be soon. Romanian officials said in Bucharest that ties would be restored in mid-May.
The fall of the hard-line Communist regimes in Central Europe over the past year has allowed the Vatican to expand its influence in the region.
With the exception of Romania, the Holy See has restored official ties with all countries which had cut relations after the Communists came to power after World War II.
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