Rahman thanks Pope

The pope had appealed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and the United Nations sought a country to take him in after Muslim clerics in Afghanistan threatened his life, saying his conversion was a "betrayal to Islam."

Benedict wrote to Karzai on March 22 that dropping the case "would bestow great honor upon the Afghan people and would raise a chorus of admiration in the international community."

Since his arrival in Italy, the Vatican has made no comment. There was no indication of any plan to arrange a meeting between Rahman and the pope.

"Thanks to the (Italian) government. And thanks to Pope Benedict XVI. The pontiff took an interest in my case, and thanks to him, the U.N. intervened," Rahman told reporters