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The prime minister, dubbed Kevin 747 for his jet-setting ways, leaves for another whirlwind, worldwide trip today.
Kevin Rudd first flies to Malaysia for a meeting with his counterpart Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He's expected to raise the issue of people smuggling and the impact of the global recession on the region.
Then he's off to Berlin on Tuesday for talks with the Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Wednesday sees Mr Rudd in Zurich, where he'll lobby soccer supremo Sepp Blatter regarding Australia's World Cup bid.
In Rome on the same day, he'll meet with Pope Benedict XVI.
This time he's expected to lobby for Mary MacKillop to be canonised.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith defended the prime minister against accusations he was dabbling in church matters.
'He's not dabbling,' Mr Smith told the Nine Network.
'He's neither dabbling nor interfering, nor is it really a key focus of his trip.'
Mr Smith said it was 'entirely appropriate' for the prime minister to relay the views of the Australian Catholic community about such matters.
In Italy, Mr Rudd will also meet PM Silvio Berlusconi, who's still reeling from another round of sex scandals.
Finally, he'll attend the 17-nation Major Economies Forum to discuss climate change, before jetting back to Australia in time for the weekend.
