Vatican City, Nov 27, 2007 / 09:22 am
Contrary to earlier indications, Pope Benedict XVI will not be meeting with the Dalai Lama in December, Reuters reports.
An anonymous Vatican official told reporters in late October that the Pope would meet with the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism on December 13.
The report of a meeting caused the Chinese government to strongly protest, saying it would "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people." It urged the Pope to take action showing he "is sincere in improving relations."
Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a "splittist" who is working for an independent Tibet. Chinese officials have accused him of organizing anti-government activities in Tibet.