President Barack Obama will deliver remarks Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual gathering that draws faith leaders from around the country.
This year’s most notable guest is the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader whose appearance alongside the President could prompt a diplomatic fuss from Chinese leaders. The Dalai Lama is not slated to speak and the White House declined to say whether the two leaders will meet at the event.
An encounter between the two leaders would be the fourth meeting of the two leaders. And each encounter proves an exercise in diplomatic finesse, with the White House always stressing it does not support Tibetan independence from China while also expressing concerns over human rights in the disputed region.
Previous meetings have prompted Chinese officials to accuse the U.S. of meddling in its domestic affairs.
The breakfast, hosted at the Washington Hilton in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, is once again co-chaired by members of Congress from both parties, with Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, and Mississippi’s Republican Sen. Roger Wicker steering the event this year.
Last year’s event included New York Democrat Rep. Eliot Engel reading a passage from the Hebrew text of the book of Ecclesiastes and remarks from Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood.
USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, a Hindu, delivered the keynote address at the event last year.
