Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - Responding to the news that Northern Irish politician and Nobel Peace Laureate John Hume had passed away, His Holiness the Dalai Lama composed a letter expressing his condolences to his widow.
“I was pleased to be able to meet your husband during one of my several visits to Northern Ireland,” he wrote. “His deep conviction in the power of dialogue and negotiations to resolve conflict was unwavering. It was his leadership and his faith in the power of negotiations that enabled the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to be reached. His steady persistence set an example for all of us to follow.”
He concluded with the observation that Hume’s dedication to peace and nonviolence in the resolution of conflict, no matter how protracted or difficult it may seem to be, will long survive him and noted that he had lived a meaningful life.
