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Alexander Berzin’s response is nonsensical. If the Dalai Lama is not a Pope, as Berzin rightly says, signing a letter that he co-wrote, which was not intended as a directive that Buddhists must obey, but as a plain appeal to endorse obvious moral principles, was a no-brainer.
Not signing would have been Pope-like. For such a signature carries the full imprimatur of the church and ecclesiastical law, which is unbefitting for a religious text aimed at those who do not belong to it. So, the Dalai Lama could just sign as a private person—easy-peasy.
Originally posted as a long-Tweet on September 29, 2022 (with link added).
