"Unofficial" papal meeting with Dalai Lama still possible

Rome, Nov. 29, 2007 (CWNews.com) - After announcing earlier this week that Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) will not meet the Dalai Lama in a private audience, the Vatican is now leaving open the possibility that the Pontiff could hold a "private" meeting with the Buddhist leader, the French daily Le Croix reports.

Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, has told reporters that he cannot rule out the possibility that the Pope might meet informally with the Dalai Lama, who is due in Italy in December.

The Vatican spokesman explained that an earlier statement that "no audience is planned" referred to an official visit, listed on the papal schedule. If it does take place, the visit would not appear on the Pope's official agenda.

The subtle shift in the Vatican's public announcement underlines the delicacy with which Church officials are approaching the arrival of the Dalai Lama. The Vatican is anxious to avoid any undue disruption of the ongoing informal negotiations with Beijing. Chinese government officials had reacted angrily to the reports-- never formally confirmed by the Vatican-- that the Pope would receive the Tibetan spiritual leader.

There is precedent for a meeting that would not appear on the papal calendar. The Pope met with the Dalai Lama in October 2006, but the Vatican underlined that the meeting was a "private courtesy visit" and the conversation was confined exclusively to religious matters.