Saudi Arabia struck a deal with the Vatican to build churches for Christian worshippers in the Arab country, according to an unconfirmed report in the Egypt Independent.

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If the report is accurate, the agreement with the Vatican would continue the kingdom's effort to shift to a "moderate Islam."

Saudi Arabia is home to Islam's holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. The agreement calls for the establishment of a joint committee from the Vatican and the Kingdom to plan future meetings.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdel Karim Al-Issa of the Muslim World League and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, reportedly signed the agreement on April 14.

There aren't any Christian churches in Saudi Arabia, the only country in the Middle East without one.

If confirmed, the agreement would mark a major turning point in Saudi history.

"During my meetings, I insisted very much … that Christians and non-Muslims are spoken of well in schools and that they are never considered second-class citizens," Tauran told the Vatican News, adding that he believed Saudi authorities wanted "to show that even in Saudi Arabia there is the possibility of discussion, and therefore of changing the country's image."

The cardinal visited Saudi Arabia this year and met the royal family, urging the Muslim country to treat its citizens equally.