Ganden Tripa

An excerpt from that press release gives his background:The 101st Ganden Tripa, Khensur Lungri Namgyel Rinpoche was born in 1927 in Kham (eastern Tibet).

In 1986 he was the special envoy of the Dalai-lama to the ecumenical meetings of Assisi in Italy convened by Pope John Paul II.

[6]The 100th Ganden Tripa, Lobsang Nyima Rinpoche,[7] retired and lived at Drepung Loselling Monastery with his labrang (office staff) until his death in 2008.

[9] This, and the hierarchy through which any Gelugpa monk can rise up through the ranks on merit to become the Ganden Tripa is briefly described in the November 2011 edition of Me-Long,[9] a journal published by the Norbulingka Institute, which is dedicated to the preservation of the Tibetan culture, and in full detail on "Study Buddhism".

[10] The progression can be summarised as follows: first of all, a monk of any Gelugpa monastery, who, after usually 15 to 20 years of study, achieves a Tsorampa or Lharampa (higher) Geshe degree, is obliged to enter either the Gyuto Tantric College or the Gyume Tantric College, depending on his place of origin in Tibet, to continue his studies.

[11] The Rizong Sre Rinpoche was the 102nd Ganden Tripa, he previously served as the abbot of both Gyume Tantric College and Drepung Loseling Monastery.