In an interview with UAE’s newspaper al-Ittihad, Pope Francis expressed his strong rejection of the authorization of burning the Quran, emphasizing that such acts made him angry.
He stated that any book considered holy should be respected out of respect for those who believe in it.
The pope condemned the incidents of burning copies of the Quran in Sweden and described allowing such actions as unacceptable.
He further stressed that freedom of expression should not be used as an excuse to offend others.
Pope Francis emphasised the importance of transforming the religious sense into cooperation, fraternity, and tangible acts of goodness.
The remarks made by the head of the Catholic Church are considered his first statement on the matter of burning the Qur’an in Sweden.
The incident in Stockholm, where a man tore up and burned a Quran, received strong condemnation from several countries. Swedish police rejected several applications for anti-Quran demonstrations, but courts overruled those decisions, citing the protection of freedom of speech.
In response to these incidents, an Islamic grouping of 57 states called for collective measures to prevent acts of desecration of the Quran. They emphasised the use of international law to combat religious hatred and protect religious symbols.
