(TibetanReview.net, Apr22’25) – The Dalai Lama has on Apr 21 expressed sadness over the death of Pope Francis, writing to The Most Reverend Leopoldo Girelli, The Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, the ambassador of the Holy See. The executive head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile too have offered their condolences, while the CTA held a prayer service for the departed soul. The Dalai Lama has met with several popes, but not Francis or his immediate predecessor, both of whom did not want to anger Beijing.
“His Holiness Pope Francis dedicated himself to the service of others,” the Dalai Lama wrote, “consistently revealing by his own actions how to live a simple, but meaningful life. The best tribute we can pay to him is to be a warm-hearted person, serving others wherever and in whatever way we can.”
He also wrote that a memorial service was being held by the Tibetan community at the Tsuglagkhang, the Main Tibetan Temple, in Dharamshala.
The memorial service was held on Apr 22 evening, attended by the CTA staff as well as the local Tibetan public and others.
“The late Pope truly embodied the dignity of his title, earning profound respect and admiration from people around the world,” officiating Sikyong Ms Tharlam Dolma Changra, Kalon (Minister) of the CTA’s Department of Education, has told the gathering.
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In the passing of Pope Francis, Beijing loses a well-respected global leader who had pushed the Vatican closer to China’s Communist Party leadership than any of his predecessors, noted edition.cnn.com Apr 22.
Nevertheless, China expressed condolences on the Pope’s passing only after being asked about it at a regular press conference, 24 hours later, the report noted.
“In recent years, China and the Vatican have maintained constructive contact and engaged in beneficial exchanges. The Chinese side is willing to work together with the Vatican to promote the continued improvement of China-Vatican relations,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the ministry, was quoted as telling reporters on Apr 22, while expressing condolences over the death of Pope Francis.
Also, the Chinese state-controlled media’s coverage on his death has been terse, the report noted.
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The Pope never met with the Dalai Lama who is despised by China as a separatist, even though he only seeks genuine autonomy for his Tibetan homeland as guaranteed by China’s constitution.
The only occasion Pope Francis had of coming close to the Dalai Lama, in a manner of speaking, was in Dec 2024 when, as a representative of Tibetan Buddhists, Kyabje Kundeling Tatsak Rinpoche presented to him a copy of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s book, The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World. Rinpoche made the presentation during a private meeting with the Pope while attending the World Interfaith Conference organised by the Sree Narayana Gurukulam Trust, in collaboration with the Italy-based Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, over Nov 29-30, 2024 in the Vatican.
The Dalai Lama had his first meeting with a Pope in 1973, with Pope Paul VI. He also had a number of meetings with Pope John Paul II, including in 1980, 1982 (in Rome), 1986 (at the interfaith prayer meeting in Assisi), 1988, and 1990s (in various interreligious contexts). He was the most engaged pope with interfaith dialogue, including with Buddhist leaders.
There have been no meetings with a pope since then.
Pope Benedict XVI (2005–2013) though involved in interreligious dialogue, never met with the Dalai Lama. So also his successor, the late Pope Francis. Both did not want to strain relations with China, which strongly opposes any sort of official recognition of the Dalai Lama.
Pope Francis, in particular, started a new, controversial phase of relationship with Beijing, with a secret deal on the issue of the appointment of bishops in China.
Catholicism is one of five state-recognized faiths in China, where religious practice is strictly controlled by the Communist Party, which asserts its supremacy over all aspects of life. By official count, there are about 6 million Catholics in China, but the number may be higher when counting those who practice at underground churches to avoid Beijing’s watchful eye. Said the edition.cnn.com report.
Francis had repeatedly expressed a wish to make a trip to China, but only managed to be authorized to fly over Chinese airspace. This happened in 2014 when he visited South Korea. While in Chinese airspace, the Pope said in a radio message to President Xi Jinping: “Upon entering Chinese airspace, I extend my best wishes to your excellency and your fellow citizens, and I invoke divine blessings of peace and wellbeing upon the nation.”
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Addendum: It has since been pointed out that Pope Benedict XVI, who preceded the recently deceased Pope Francis, did meet the Dalai Lama. The one-time meeting took place on Oct 13, 2006, and was thus reported by the National Catholic Reporter on its website the next day: “The meeting did not appear in the list of the pope’s appointments on Friday (Oct 13, 2006), nor was it mentioned in the news bulletins of the Vatican Information Service or Vatican Radio. No journalists were present, and there were no official photos. When reporters called the vice-director of the Vatican Press Office, Passionist Fr. Ciro Benedettini, they were told that it was a ‘private meeting’.”
The meeting was stated to have been kept “low-profile” in order to be sure that meetings with the pope did not become artificial exercises in seeking photo opportunities simply to keep the Tibetan cause in the news. (See: https://www.ncronline.org/news/pope-and-dalai-lama-audience-wasnt)