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Pope Says Nope to Dalai Lama Meeting

The Tibetan leader is in Rome for a Nobel Peace Prize winners conference but didn't land an invite to the Vatican.
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Pope Francis isn't afraid to make waves, but does he draw the line at meeting the Dalai Lama?

The popular pontiff will not grant the beloved Tibetan leader, who was in Rome Thursday for a Nobel Peace Prize winners' conference, an audience at the Vatican.

There is no explanation from the Holy See, but the Dalai Lama made a reference to the pow-wow causing "inconveniences." China, of course, would not look kindly on the pope reaching out to the top Buddhist monk, who supports greater autonomy for Tibet.

A Vatican spokesman would not even confirm the Dalai Lama was angling for a sitdown but said the pope was sending a greeting to all the Nobel laureates in Rome. No need to worry about hard feelings: the Dalai Lama says he's still a big fan of the Catholic leader.

IN-DEPTH

— Tracy Connor