The Dalai Lama has issued an apology after a video of the spiritual leader, showing him kissing a child on the lips and then asking him to “suck my tongue,” began to circulate online.
The video was taken during an event in northern India, in the city of Dharamshala, in February. It quickly went viral on social media, with many criticizing Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama, for his actions.
The office of the Dalai Lama released a statement on the incident Sunday, saying that the spiritual leader “regrets” what happened and “wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused.”
The statement went on to allege that the incident caught on camera was only Gyatso being “playful” with the boy, whose identity is unknown.
“His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras,” the statement said.
The video shows the young boy approaching the Dalai Lama and asking if he can hug him, before the 87-year-old invited him on stage, asked him to hug him and kiss him on the cheek, then his lips, before finally kissing him on the lips and then sticking his tongue out, making the strange request.
“And suck my tongue,” the Dalai Lama said to the boy.
CNN received a statement from the Delhi-based child rights group Haq: Center for Child Rights, saying that it condemns “all forms of child abuse” before going on to offer criticism of the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
“Some news refers to Tibetan culture about showing tongue, but this video is certainly not about any cultural expression, and even if it is, such cultural expressions are not acceptable,” the statement said of Gyatso’s actions.
This is not the first time that the Dalai Lama has been criticized for something controversial.
In 2019, he apologized after saying that if a female Dalai Lama succeeded him, she “should be more attractive.” In 2018, he also made controversial comments when talking about African refugees entering Europe, saying the continent should be kept for Europeans.
Related
Related
