Sep 19 12:58 PM US/Eastern

Pope Benedict XVI refused to meet US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in August, saying he was on holiday, an Italian newspaper reported Wednesday.
Rice "made it known to the Vatican that she absolutely had to meet the pope" to boost her diplomatic "credit" ahead of a trip to the Middle East, the Corriere della Sera daily reported without citing its sources.

She was hoping to meet the pontiff at his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo at the beginning of August, it said.

"'The pope is on holiday' was the official response," the paper said.

It said the reply "illustrated the divergence of view" between the Vatican and the White House about the "initiatives of the Bush administration in the Middle East."

The newspaper said the pope had rejected all meetings with political representatives during August.

The Vatican press office refused to confirm the report.

US Ambassador to the Vatican Francis Rooney said relations between Washington and the Holy See were close.

"Since the beginning of formal diplomatic relations in 1984, the US and the Holy See have enjoyed a high level of cooperation on a wide array of issues," he said in a statement.

"Our relationship remains strong today. Our working relationship is dynamic and productive at all levels."