Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev meets with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in this Dec. 1, 1989, file photo. Hours after the meeting, the Vatican told the United States in a confidential assessment that Gorbachev could be trusted as a genuine reformer. In mid-January this year, the U.S. and the Vatican marked 25 years of formal diplomatic relations. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano) (Jan. 16, 2009) See VATICAN LETTER Jan. 16, 2009.