Pope John Paul II is to meet Spanish Prime Minister Mr Jose Maria Aznar and a top Iranian official on Thursday to discuss Iraq.
A Vatican official said both Mr Aznar and the deputy Iranian parliament speaker, Mr Mohammad Reza Khatami, had asked to meet the Pope. Mr Khatami is coming as the personal representative of his brother, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.
Mr Aznar has been one of Washington's most vocalEuropean allies during the Iraq crisis; Iran has made clear it strongly opposes any military intervention in neighbouring Iraq, even if it were to be approved by the United Nations.
Last year US President George W. Bush lumped Iran withIraq and North Korea in an "axis of evil" which he accused of pursuing weapons of mass destruction and sponsoring terrorism.
The Vatican has opposed a possible war, warning an eventual US-led attack might break international law and could bring further Islamic-inspired terrorism.
A Vatican official said Mr Aznar was scheduled to meet the Pope at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. Mr Khatami will hold talks with the 82-year-old pontiff an hour later. Both meetings are private.
It was unclear if Mr Aznar and Mr Khatami would meet separately.
AP