Did Dalai Lama ‘quietly’ cancel JD Vance meeting after Pope's death? Truth behind claim

A report about Buddhist leader Dalai Lama ‘quietly’ canceling a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance after Pope Francis' death surfaced on Monday

Updated on: Apr 22, 2025, 13:17:27 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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A report about Buddhist leader Dalai Lama ‘quietly’ canceling a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance after Pope Francis' death surfaced on Monday. The Republican and former Ohio Senator is currently on a four-day visit to India, from April 21 to 24. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.

JD Vance and Dalai Lama have no scheduled meeting (AFP)

The Dalai Lama is currently at his residence in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India.

On Monday, The Babylon Bee reported that the Buddhist leader has canceled his meeting with Vance.

“Though the Dalai Lama's representatives said publicly that the timing of the cancellation was just a coincidence, sources close to the religious leader privately disclosed that the revered Tibetan Buddhist figure simply did not want to die,” the website stated. Babylon Bee further posted a ‘spokesmonk’s' message about the Dalai Lama being ‘double-booked’.

The report quickly went viral on social media. “Dalai Lama quietly cancels scheduled meeting with JD Vance,” one person posted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. They further attached a screenshot of the Babylon Bee report. The post by Anna Komsa has been retweeted over 100 times and has over 400 likes.

Truth behind viral claim

The claim is fake. There is no meeting scheduled between the Dalai Lama and JD Vance. In fact, The Babylon Bee is a satirical news website that usually posts fake news as part of its satirical take on news events.

In the about section of the website, Babylon Bee writes: “The Babylon Bee is the world’s best satire site, totally inerrant in all its truth claims. We write satire about Christian stuff, political stuff, and everyday life.”

“If you would like to complain about something on our site, take it up with God,” it further adds.

“Just so it’s clear for everyone, BabylonBee is a satirical site like The Onion, except funny,” a social media user reminded Anna Komsa in the comment section of her post.

“For a moment I thought that was serious 😂” another one wrote.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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