VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis said on Monday that he rejected the authorization of burning of the holy Qur’an, as such acts made him angry and disgusted.
The remarks are considered the first statement by the Catholic Church head about incidents of desecrating copies of the Quran in Sweden last week.
Pope Francis said that allowing this action is unacceptable and condemned. Freedom of expression should not be used as an excuse to offend others and any book considered holy should be respected.
He said that “Our mission is to transform the religious sense into cooperation, fraternity, and tangible acts of goodness,” Arab News reported.
Desecration of Qur’an
A man tore up and burned a copy of the holy Qur’an in Stockholm, Sweden last week, generating a strong reaction and condemnation from several countries.
Although, Swedish police have recently rejected several applications for anti-Qur’an demonstrations, courts have over-ruled those decisions, arguing they infringed freedom of speech.
On Sunday, the Islamic grouping of 57 countries, OIC said that collective steps are needed to prevent acts of desecration to the holy Qur’an and international law should be used to stop religious hatred.
