For the first time in 50 years, Buddhists celebrated an important religious rite in Tibet. The ritual, which is said to encourage enlightenment, was led by a youth China designated as the 11^th Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Many Buddhists, however, denounced the ceremony and said they consider the current Panchen Lama to be a fake. The Dalai Lama had announced his own choice of a six-year-old boy. But Chinese authorities detained that boy and he has not been heard from since.