Pope asks that dialogue, tolerance replace violence in Tibet

Published: 2008-03-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI asked that dialogue and tolerance replace the tensions and violence that recently erupted in Tibet. "With violence, problems are not solved, only aggravated," the pope said in a March 19 appeal at the end of his weekly general audience. Pope Benedict asked that God would grant courage "to each and every one to choose the path of dialogue and tolerance." He said he was following "the news coming from Tibet these days with great trepidation" and felt "sadness and grief in the face of the suffering of so many people." With such events taking place at the time of Holy Week, it "helps us be particularly sensitive to their situation," he said. What began March 10 in Tibet as relatively peaceful protests to mark the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule turned to rioting and a crackdown by Chinese troops. Chinese authorities said the final death toll was 13 people, while Tibetan exile groups put the figure at more than 80.

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