The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has apologized on Monday for a video in which the 87-year-old religious leader is seen asking a child to "suck his tongue."
"A video has circulated showing a recent meeting, in which a young boy asks his holiness if he can give him a hug," read a statement posted on the official account of the Buddhist leader.
The images show the Buddhist leader hugging and kissing the minor on the lips during a public event and in the presence of other adults, while the audience is heard applauding and laughing.
Seconds later, the Tibetan spiritual leader points to his mouth and sticks out his tongue.
“His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends around the world, for the damage his words have caused.
His holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and mischievous way, even in public and on camera.
He regrets the incident, ”the statement concludes.
The video accumulates more than a million reproductions on Twitter.
pic.twitter.com/vlmUbI4vqz
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) April 10, 2023
The Dalai Lama has already caused controversy after joking that he could surely be succeeded by a woman, but she should be "very attractive".
Tenzin Gyatso, the original name of the fourteenth Dalai Lama, fled with thousands of compatriots to India in early 1959 after China's harsh repression of the failed popular uprising in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
Since then, he has continued the fight for the freedom of his people, although always "systematically opposing violence", which is why he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
On a visit to the Netherlands in 2018, the Dalai Lama spoke for the first time with victims of alleged sexual abuse by Tibetan Buddhist teachers and vowed to address the issue.
