Pope declines Dalai Lama meeting in Rome

[azurnoir]

Source: BBC

The Dalai Lama, who is visiting Rome, had requested a meeting.

A Vatican spokesman said that although the Pope held him "in very high regard", the request had been declined "for obvious reasons".

China describes the Dalai Lama as a separatist and reacts angrily when foreign dignitaries meet him.

He now advocates a "middle way" with China, seeking autonomy but not independence for Tibet. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30455187

Read more: Link to source

[catbyte]

1. Sorry, but WTF?

[Delphinus]

3. Yep.

My words exactly!

[dhill926]

4. yep I'll 3rd...

the WTF? For obvious reasons?

[azurnoir]

7. No need to apologize

my thoughts exactly

[darkangel218]

2. What a jerk! nt

[onehandle]

5. See 'The West Wing' for how dignitaries meet The Dalai Lama.

This happens all the time.

Hardly LBN.

[azurnoir]

6. oh you mean like this

I know though it's not the West Wing

[hedgehog]

8. The Vatican is negotiating with the Chinese government regarding the

above-ground,government sponsored and controlled Catholic Church which answers to Beijing and the underground Catholic Church which answers to Rome. There are people in China who may end up in prison if the Pope met with the Dalai Lama.

[freshwest]

16. That's pretty obvious to those in danger, but not to others.

The Dalai Lama was disappointed but it he didn't say he was offended, he said he understood. The Dalai Lama is popular with many people here, and our state is more or less 22% Catholic and votes Democratic:



Both appear to be humble guys but they get a lot of praise from people. Whether it's warranted is about as meaningful as the knee jerk hatred of them, and there is plenty of that for both men because of their position. There are more important things in life than pleasing people on the net. Such as real people who might die.

Thanks for giving us a reason to think a bit deeper on this story. The OP did not include reasons. I don't think most people will read the link, because if they did, they might agree with the Pope being careful. This is about real lives, not egos:

...Pope Francis will not meet the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama because of the "delicate situation" with China, the Vatican says...

"Pope Francis obviously holds the Dalai Lama in very high regard but he will not be meeting any of the Nobel laureates," a Vatican spokesman said. He added that the Pope would send a video message to the conference.

A spokesman for the Dalai Lama said he was "disappointed at not being able to call on His Holiness the Pope but he does not want to cause any inconvenience..."

A Vatican official said the Pope's decision was "not taken out of fear but to avoid any suffering by those who have already suffered..."

These negotiations affect the lives of TENS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. If we respect their right to live, we might be more thoughtful and kind.

Just sayin'

Disclaimer: I'm not religious, nor do I call anyone His Holiness.

[penndragon69]

9. FUCK the pope....

he finally shows his true form, that of a weasel !

[onehandle]

10. Yeah. How dare he save lives!

He should ride shirtless into Ukraine and damn all consequences.

[MisterP]

11. here's the current Catholic situation in PRC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Patriotic_Catholic_Association

(I've been on a Jesuitical kick)

[Recursion]

13. But there's a standing anathema from Rome to all persons who accept ordination from it, isn't there?

I thought all Bishops of the CPCA were still excommunicated?

[freshwest]

17. Interesting. China 'regulates' religion. Not the other way around. The CPCA outnumbers the CCP.

Could China become a theocracy if this trend continues?

[Recursion]

12. It's especially odd because he has the perfect "cover" for meeting him, as a fellow religious head

He could always say "I'm not meeting him in my capacity as head of state of the Holy See, but in my capacity as spiritual head of the Roman Church".

[DeSwiss]

15. And you were doing so well, Francis.

Chastising and firing pompous pedophillac-supporting old coots, uncovering hundreds of millions in ''lost funds'' and telling-off the West about them needing to get rid of their stupid nukes.

- But a potential of a billion people ringing collection plates in Catholic churches on Sundays in China was just too much, eh?



Still. A big step up from that other guy.......

[Yo_Mama]

19. That's really off-the-wall.

Catholicism is a huge force in China. Read this and learn something:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30455187

The problem is that the Chinese are deathly afraid of Catholics. They've established their own state-sponsored version, which is getting too "Catholic" for their tastes so now they are even going after that.

Anyway, remember that Polish pope who was widely believed to be instrumental in the Soviet Union's downfall? The Chinese do. The LAST thing the Chinese want is to have the Dalai Lama and the Pope talking together.

Pope Francis is trying to improve things with Xi, and meeting with the Dalai Lama now would probably make it impossible for Xi to continue even the current baby steps towards normalization.

[Yo_Mama]

18. The obvious reasons are the Chinese government's response against Chinese Catholics.

Not that the Pope doesn't want to meet him for any personal or religious reason.

BBC article:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30455187