Call it a cultural clash or just plain “creepy,” but the case of the kissing Dalai Lama has the cyberworld in an uproar over his smiling demand that a young boy “kiss my tongue.” Was it just a seemingly friendly gesture?

Mostly, people who may not have known Tibetan culture were aghast at images of the genial spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism embracing the child in his headquarters at the town of Dharamshala in northern India’s hill country.  

To  Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, better known as SNAP, the gesture disclosed sexual proclivities that came as a total shock to those accustomed to viewing the Dalai Lama as a saintly figure.

An American group that prides itself on rescuing victims of abuse by priests, pastors, and spiritual advisers, SNAP issued a statement of horror at the incident as seen on television and computer screens worldwide.

“This story is another stark reminder of how powerful men can use their positions of power to benefit themselves at the expense of others, a thread that is all too common in cases of clergy sexual abuse,” SNAP said on its website.  “We are as horrified as any viewer by the actions of the Dalai Lama.”

SNAP seized upon the image of “an  87-year-old man asking a young boy to perform a blatantly sexual act in a public setting” as an occasion to call upon “every single person who sees, suspects, or suffers child sex crimes” to “contact law enforcement to report it.” That’s “the  best way,” the statement said, “ to protect other children, expose wrongdoing, and start healing.”

Yet was the Dalai Lama really guilty of anything of the sort?

“In traditional Tibetan culture, sticking out one’s tongue is a show of respect or agreement and was frequently done as a greeting,” India’s News18 said, citing a lengthy article published by the institute of East Asian Studies, at the University of California, Berkeley.

“According to Tibetan tradition, a terrible ninth-century Tibetan ruler had a black tongue,” News18  said. “Thus people put their tongues out to demonstrate that they are not like him (and are not his reincarnation).”

The historical reference, though, wasn’t likely to cut it in today’s world, where sexual predators in high positions are the targets of numerous court cases. The rapper Cardi B, posting an article about the Dalai Lama’s apology for having been caught in the act, issued a warning for parents everywhere.

“This world is full of predators,” she tweeted. “They prey on the innocent, the ones who are most unknowing, our children.” She followed up with specific advice. “From the time you start potty training your kids should tell them DON’T LET nobody touch your privates, enter the bathroom wit you and don’t keep no secrets away from mommy.”

Julia Hartley-Brewer of Britain’s Talkradio put it this way:  The image of the Dalai Lama kissing the child and then asking him to “suck” his tongue was “really really creepy.”

Nor was she in the least impressed by the semi-apology the deed might have caused the millions who saw the incident. So what if His Holiness issued a statement of apology “to the boy and his family” for the hurt his words may have caused” and “regrets the incident.”

Ms.Hartley-Brewer questioned the sincerity of those carefully chosen words. “Regrets asking him to do it or regrets asking him to do it on camera in front of witnesses,” she asked.