During an event on Friday, the Dali Lama kissed a young boy on the lips and asked the child to “suck my tongue” as he stuck out his tongue at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamsala, India.
A video of the creepy encounter immediately sparked blowback, with people on social media labeling him a “dirty nonce” and others rightly labeled the 87-year-old Tibetan a “pervert.”
On Monday, the Dali Lama released a statement via Twitter, downplaying the encounter, writing, “A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness 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.”
“His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident,” the statement concluded.
The Dali Lama has resided in India since the unsuccessful Tibet uprising in 1959 against the communist Chinese government. The Washington Examiner noted, “Tibet, where the Dalai Lama comes from, holds a contested status in terms of recognition with the Chinese government, which claims it as a part of China.”