(CNA).- A planned Vatican meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and the Dalai Lama would be an "offense" to the Chinese people, a government spokesman said Thursday in Beijing.
The Pope will reportedly meet with the head of Tibetan Buddhism on December 13 according to reports by ANSA, though officials at the Holy See have not yet officially confirmed the meeting.
China hopes that the meeting will not take place because it would be offensive to the Chinese nation, government spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
Beijing sees the Dalai Lama as a "political plotter" who plans to split the country. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since 1959, when he fled Tibet following a revolt against Chinese rule. Approximately six million Tibetans now live under Chinese authority.
The 71 year-old Dalai Lama has abandoned demands for full Tibetan independence and now seeks a "one country, two systems" formula which would preserve Tibetan culture and spirituality.
A papal meeting with the Buddhist leader would worsen tensions between China and the Holy See. The Catholic community in China, numbering between 12 and 14 million, is split between an underground church and a government-recognized Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics. The Chinese government claims authority to appoint Catholic bishops without the approval of the Vatican.
Before reports of the planned meeting Chinese-Vatican tensions were considered to be improving.
The Dalai Lama already met with Pope Benedict XVI in a low-profile visit to the papal summer residence last year, but the meeting was considered less formal because it did not take place in the Vatican.
The Pope will reportedly meet with the head of Tibetan Buddhism on December 13 according to reports by ANSA, though officials at the Holy See have not yet officially confirmed the meeting.
China hopes that the meeting will not take place because it would be offensive to the Chinese nation, government spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
Beijing sees the Dalai Lama as a "political plotter" who plans to split the country. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since 1959, when he fled Tibet following a revolt against Chinese rule. Approximately six million Tibetans now live under Chinese authority.
The 71 year-old Dalai Lama has abandoned demands for full Tibetan independence and now seeks a "one country, two systems" formula which would preserve Tibetan culture and spirituality.
A papal meeting with the Buddhist leader would worsen tensions between China and the Holy See. The Catholic community in China, numbering between 12 and 14 million, is split between an underground church and a government-recognized Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics. The Chinese government claims authority to appoint Catholic bishops without the approval of the Vatican.
Before reports of the planned meeting Chinese-Vatican tensions were considered to be improving.
The Dalai Lama already met with Pope Benedict XVI in a low-profile visit to the papal summer residence last year, but the meeting was considered less formal because it did not take place in the Vatican.
5 comments:
As far as I can see Christianity is offensive to the Chinese leadership. I hope the Pope goes ahead with the meeting. This kind of manipulation by China makes its leadership look very bad in the eyes of the world.
I must say the picture of the Pope looks truly awful. Has someone been tinkering on paintshop?
China's Communism regime is offensive to me, so I guess we're square now.
I was also going to say that the pic of the pope isn't the best I've seen. Looks like him on an Ash Wednesday after someone's thrown half the ashes over him.
The Chinese Govt seem to think they can be as utterly daft and nasty as they like and no one will mind.
Can't help thinking they might be right
Members of the Chinese government can be pretty nasty when they choose but I would never describe them as utterly daft.
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