Pope says meeting with Dalai Lama in the pipeline as he sends telegram to Xi Jinping
Francis leaves door open to Beijing, denies snubbing Buddhist leader
Pope Francis yesterday reiterated his interest in visiting China, as he concluded a six-day tour in Asia. In a tricky balancing act, the pope also said a meeting was on the cards with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, a to Beijing.
On his flight from Manila to the Vatican, Pope Francis sent a telegram to President Xi Jinping, as he does for each country he flies over. This was the second to China in five months.
The goodwill gestures came following reports that China and the Vatican were seeking to rebuild diplomatic ties, and followed claims that the pope had not received the Dalai Lama in December so as not to upset China - claims he rejected.
The trip was the pope's second visit to Asia since August. On both occasions his plane was granted permission to fly through Chinese airspace, leading him send telegrams from on high. Permission to fly over China has been seen as a significant gesture from Beijing, which has previously denied permission for papal planes to use its airspace.
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When asked about efforts to forge closer ties between the Vatican and China, the pontiff said: "The Chinese are polite, and we are also polite. We are doing things step by step."
The Chinese "know that I am ready to go there [China] or to receive [Chinese officials] at the Vatican", he said. In his second telegram to Xi, the pope wrote: "I assure you of my prayers for you and the people of China, invoking abundant blessings of harmony and prosperity."
Rejecting reports he refused to meet the Dalai Lama, who was in Rome to attend the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in December, the pope said: "The usual protocol of the secretary of state is not to receive heads of state and high ranking personalities when they are in Rome for an international meeting.
"Some newspapers said that I did not meet with him out of fear of China. This is not true. He asked for an audience some time ago. A date has been fixed. But not for the moment. We are in contact," he added.
Bishop John Fang Xingyao, chairman of Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, welcomed the pope's messages and said he had been told about efforts to resume bilateral ties about two to three months ago. "Of course we hope that the two sides can rebuild ties as soon as possible," he said.
