Pope has esteem for Dalai Lama, but no meeting in Rome

(AGI) Vatican City, Dec 11 - Pope Francis feels "great esteem"for the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader whoparticipated in the summit of Nobel prizewinners on Thursday inRome. The Pontiff is not expected to hold a direct meeting withhim or with any other of the prominent people gathered in thecity. However, he will send a message to the summit, probablysigned by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. It isknown that negotiations between Beijing and the Holy See havetaken a positive turn. Thus, it is thought that the extremecaution of the Vatican lies behind the failure to hold anaudience with the Dalai Lama as it does not want the crackpainstakingly opened in confidential negotiations in recentweeks to close again. Benedict XVI met the Dalai Lama in 2006,but did not receive him in 2007 and 2009, when the Tibetanreligious leader also visited Rome. (AGI).