China's Panchen Lama calls for patriotism, says greed taints Tibetan Buddhism

Gyaltsen Norbu, the 11th Panchen Lama and a delegate of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends the opening ceremony of CPPCC with other delegates at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 3, China, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee

BEIJING (Reuters) - Patriotism is the "mission" of religion in China, but greed is tainting Tibetan Buddhism, says the government-appointed second-highest spiritual leader of the faith, who was chosen by Beijing to win the hearts and minds of Tibetans.

Although officially atheist, China in 1995 selected Gyaltsen Norbu as Tibet's 11th Panchen Lama, the number-two spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.