According to sources close to the meeting, the sides confirmed a desire to extend political dialogue between Vatican and Russia and to promote relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
They also discussed international issues, in particular preparations for the Summit-2005 in New York on September 14-16 and the development of United Europe.
The sides pointed to the necessity for their countries' cooperation in all international organizations and touched upon the issue of inter-civilization dialogue designed, in part, to combat religious extremism.
It was noted that problems in relations between the two countries should be settled with due regard for each other's interests. The two ministers spoke for promoting bilateral relations in culture.
Later in the day, the Russian foreign minister is to hold talks with Italian Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini.
The main issues on their agenda will be the promotion of Russia's relations with the European Union and NATO in strengthening European security and preparations for the G8 summit at Gleneagles (UK) on July 5-6, 2005.
The meeting of Lavrov with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is also scheduled for today.
