Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, who is on an official visit to the Vatican City, is scheduled to confer on Friday with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti.

The meeting comes a day after President Plevneliev was given an audience by Pope Benedict XVI, who praised the country for its stability and predictability in the precarious times Europe is going through.

The president will also attend a solemn service at the Sts Vincent and Anastasius Church on the Fontana di Trevi Roman square, which was offered in 2002 by the late Pope John-Paul II to the Bulgarian Orthodox community in Rome for their worship.

The Church of St Vincent and St Anastasius by the Trevi Fountain was formerly the parish church of the Quirinal Palace on the hill above. The palace was the official residence of the Popes until the unification of Italy in 1870.

The Bulgarian delegation does not include Kiril Marichkov Jr., who was nominated to become Bulgaria's ambassador there, as the Vatican have refused to give him accreditation.

Marichkov is the son of popular Bulgarian rock musician Kiril Marichkov and the grand-son of Kiril Marichkov, who was Ambassador to The Vatican between 1993 and 1997.

According to unconfirmed information the problem with the Vatican stemmed from controversial information about Marichkov's past and the lack of professional experience.

If accreditation is not received in 3 months, the respective country must make a new nomination. It is a common practice for countries to send as diplomats to The Vatican people who enjoy large public respect, usually university lecturers, scientists, and people working in the culture sector.

Experts have commented that the "Marichkov" case would not have a lasting negative effect on the Bulgarian-Vatican relations, but still would be an embarrassment for Bulgaria.