Officiating Sikyong Tharlam Dolma Changra speaking to the gathering during prayer ceremony held by Central Tibetan Administration. Photo / Tenzin Phende / CTA

Dharamshala: Today in the evening, the leadership and staff of Central Tibetan Administration gathered at Sikyong hall to observe a prayer service to mourn the demise of His Holiness Pope Francis and pay tributes to his legacies.

The late head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, who passed away yesterday on Easter Monday at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta, was elected Supreme Pontiff on 13 March 2013 by the papal conclave. His Holiness Pope Francis was widely recognised during his papacy for championing environmental preservation, interfaith dialogue and peace-building, Church reform and accountability, advocacy for the poor and marginalised, and efforts in diplomacy and conflict resolution.

At the prayer ceremony, officiating Sikyong Tharlam Dolma Changra, Kalon (Minister) of Department of Education, remarked, “The late Pope truly embodied the dignity of his title, earning profound respect and admiration from people around the world.”

Yesterday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama offered condolences and expressed sympathies to the adherents of the Catholic Church and expressed His admiration to the late Pontiff for his service of others. Similar messages of condolence were also conveyed by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Sikyong Penpa Tsering in letters addressed to the Apostolic Palace and the Apostolic Nuncio to India, respectively.

In December of last year, as a representative of Tibetan Buddhists, Kyabje Kundeling Tatsak Rinpoche attended the World Interfaith Conference and presented a copy of The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World—authored by His Holiness the Dalai Lama—during a personal meeting with Pope Francis.