CHANDIGARH: Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama on Tuesday endorsed the appeal made by Pope Leo XIV for peace amid escalating tensions in West Asia.
In a message issued from Dharamsala, the Buddhist leader emphasised that violence has no place in any spiritual tradition, highlighting the shared values of compassion, tolerance, and harmony across religions.
In a post on X, Dalai Lama wrote, "I wholeheartedly endorse the powerful appeal for peace made by the Holy Father, Pope Leo, during his Palm Sunday Mass. His call for the laying down of arms and the renunciation of violence resonated profoundly with me, as it speaks to the very essence of what all major religions teach.
Indeed, whether we look to Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism or any of the world's great spiritual traditions, the message is fundamentally the same: love, compassion, tolerance, and self-discipline. Violence finds no true home in any of these teachings. History has shown us time and again that violence only begets more violence and is never a lasting foundation for peace.’’
Calling for global unity, Dalai Lama urged people worldwide to work towards peace and prayed for an early end to ongoing violence and conflicts.
"An enduring resolution to conflict, including the ones we see in the Middle East or between Russia and Ukraine, must be rooted in dialogue, diplomacy and mutual respect — approached with the understanding that, at the deepest level, we are all brothers and sisters. I urge for and pray that the violence and conflicts may soon come to an end," the post further read.
Earlier, Pope Leo dedicated his Palm Sunday homily to insisting that God is the "king of peace" who rejects violence and comforts those who are oppressed.
"Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," Pope Leo said. "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."
In a special blessing at the end of Mass, the Pope said he was praying especially for Christians in West Asia who are "suffering the consequences of an atrocious conflict. In many cases, they cannot live the rites of these holy days".