The wire reports are quoting Scott McClellan as saying the White House "reached out" to Carter. Period.

Dunno about the Dalai Lama though. Seems odd he wouldn't go, but there are ALWAYS politics being played. The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church refused to go, just as he had steadfastly refused to meet JP. And JP never did go to Russia, despite the Vatican's repeated overtures to the Russians, the Soviets, etc. And the reasons weren't just cuz he backed Solidarity and was vehemently anti-Soviet, anti-Russian (as many Poles are), and anti-communist.

It is also because there are certain Orthodox churches that aren't exactly mourning the death of "the Peoples' Pope", if you catch my drift.