His Holiness the Dalai Lama to visit Poland Saturday, 24 July 2009, 11:02 a.m.
London: His Holiness the Dalai Lama is visiting Warsaw, the capital of the Republic of Poland, from 27 to 29 July 2009. His Holiness’ upcoming visit is primarily at the invitation of the Mayor of Warsaw and the Warsaw City Council to receive an honorary citizenship of Warsaw. His Holiness has also accepted the invitation of the University of Warsaw to give a public talk. On 29 July the Mayor of Warsaw and Warsaw City Council will present His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the Honorary Citizenship of Warsaw at a ceremony to be held at the Royal Castle. An EuAsiaNews report of 23 July quoted Mayor of Warsaw, Ms Ms Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz as saying, “It will be a great privilege to receive him and honour him with the honorary citizenship of Warsaw.” Following the awarding of the Honorary Citizenship, His Holiness with Mayor of Warsaw and the Chairwoman of the Warsaw City Council Ms Ewa Malinowska-Grupinska will jointly address the media and respond to questions from reporters at a meeting with the press. In the morning of 28 July, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give a public talk at the University of Warsaw on “Value of Education & Universal Responsibility” to an audience of scholars, students and other invited guests of the University followed by a question and answer session. Prior to the talk, His Holiness will meet with the University of Warsaw Rector Prof Katarzyna Chalasinska-Macukow, other senior University officials and special guests. In her letter inviting His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the University of Warsaw, the Rector had written, “we would be greatly honoured if Your Holiness, who is recognized throughout the world as one of our few true moral authorities, would kindly address the academic community – scholars and students, as well as citizens of Warsaw.” His Holiness will also attend an official lunch on 28 July hosted by the Mayor of Warsaw and the Chairwoman of the Warsaw City Council. The same afternoon the Warsaw City Council has arranged for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to visit the Warsaw Rising Museum, the museum built in memory of and to honour the Warsaw 1944 Rising. Besides the programmes hosted by the Warsaw City and University, His Holiness has accepted the request and invitation from Ven Dr Tenzin Jangchub to open his Traditional Tibetan Herbal Health Clinic Co Ltd. His Holiness will open the clinic in the afternoon of 28 July following his visit to the Warsaw Rising Museum. The opening will be attended by Mr Pawel Trzcinski, President of the Polish Society on Health Communication and Dr Konstanty Radziwill, President of European Chamber of Doctors amongst other guests. Mr. Tsering Tashi, the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Office of Tibet in London, said: “The Polish people’s respect for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and sympathy for the just Tibetan cause is overwhelming and comes naturally from their own experience of having suffered so much under foreign occupation and totalitarian communist regime. In the course of my interaction with officials from the Warsaw City, University of Warsaw and others it became obvious how much they were all looking forward to His Holiness’ visit and gaining from his message of peace, non-violence, tolerance and hope. The Warsaw City Council’s decision to present His Holiness with the honorary citizenship clearly reflects the popular public opinion in Poland to honour His Holiness and all the work that he does for Tibet and humanity at large”. His Holiness will leave Warsaw for Germany in the afternoon of 29 July. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Poland next week will be his fourth following his earlier visits in 1993, 2000 and 2008. The visit is being co-ordinated by the Office of Tibet in London, the official agency of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration for Northern Europe, Poland and the Baltic States.–Issued by the Office of Tibet, London