The Dalai Lama has apologized for kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to "suck my tongue" after a video of the incident sparked outrage on social media.
The 87-year-old Buddhist priest "regrets the incident" and wishes to apologize to "the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused," according to
a statement published by his office on Monday.
"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras," the statement adds.