Pope Benedict held talks with the Dalai Lama but the Vatican, which has very difficult relations with China, gave the visit by the exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism a low profile.
A Vatican spokesman confirmed that the visit had taken place but said it was "strictly private and of a strictly religious nature".

The Dalai Lama's name did not appear on the list of people received by the Pope in the Vatican's daily bulletin, as the names of most visitors, including religious leaders, usually do.

The Dalai Lama, who is on a visit to Italy, received the same low-profile treatment when he met the late Pope John Paul in 2003.