Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, May 9: The foremost Buddhist leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama extended his congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his election as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, expressing hope and goodwill in a letter addressed to the newly appointed pontiff.
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1995, becomes the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. A member of the Order of St. Augustine, he spent over twenty years in Peru, where he served as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. He was later appointed by Pope Francis to lead the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023 before being elected to the papacy.
“I am very happy to have met several of your predecessors and enjoyed friendly conversations with them,” the Tibetan spiritual leader wrote. Reflecting on decades of dialogue with other religious traditions, he added, “Over more than four decades, I have also participated in meaningful exchanges with representatives of different religious traditions, my Christian brothers and sisters among them. With a firm belief in the oneness of humanity, I consider promoting inter-religious harmony to be one of the principal commitments of my own life.”
Recalling a memorable moment of interfaith unity, the Dalai Lama highlighted his participation in the historic 1986 interfaith meeting in Assisi organized by Pope John Paul II. “I was very moved to have taken part in the major inter-faith meeting organized by Pope John Paul II in Assisi in 1986,” he noted.
At a time marked by global uncertainty and upheaval, the Dalai Lama welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s election as a source of renewed hope. “In a period when the world is witnessing so many challenges, your election brings new hope not just to the Catholic community, but to people everywhere who are seeking a happier life in a more compassionate, peaceful world,” he wrote.
His Holiness concluded his message with heartfelt prayers and good wishes for the success of Pope Leo XIV’s leadership.
The Dalai Lama has met the heads of the Vatican over the decades; he first met Pope Paul VI in 1973. He went on to meet Pope John Paul II on multiple occasions, with at least five meetings taking place between 1980 and 1990. One of the most significant was the 1986 Assisi interfaith peace gathering, which brought together leaders from various world religions.
The Buddhist leader also met Pope Benedict XVI (2005–2013) in a “low key meeting” in October 2006 with the Vatican cautious of its interaction with the Dalai Lama against China’s ire. His successor Pope Francis never met the Dalai Lama, despite the latter expressing desire to meet him during a 2014 visit to Rome. The Vatican stated that a private meeting could not take place due to the “delicate situation” with China, despite the two leaders sharing common values on compassion, peace, and environmental stewardship.
One Response
Peace is not an easy thing with conflicting needs made more prominent by political manipulation.
When we learn that everyone is interconnected in some form or other, perhaps leadership across the world will take the concept of peace more seriously. The first step may be how to have a constructive dialogue with those we do not agree. The concept of “cancel culture” does not address that.
If people are persecuted because of their choice of faith, it seems that the teachings may require some considerations. In many parts of the world, people are persecuted for their political beliefs–however the accountability for that also seems to be lacking.