10:53, 3 July 2023
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. Pope Francis said he rejected the authorization of the burning of the Qur’an in an interview with UAE's newspaper al-Ittihad on Monday, adding that such acts made him angry.
“Any book considered holy should be respected to respect those who believe in it,” the Saudi Arab News quoted the Pope as saying in the interview. “I feel angry and disgusted at these actions”
“Allowing this is unacceptable and condemned,” he said, stressing that freedom of _expression_ should not be used as an excuse to offend others.
“Our mission is to transform the religious sense into cooperation, fraternity, and tangible acts of goodness.”
A man tore up and burned a copy of the Qur’an in Sweden’s capital Stockholm last week, resulting in strong condemnation from several countries.
While Swedish police have rejected several recent applications for anti-Qur’an demonstrations, courts have over-ruled those decisions, saying they infringed freedom of speech.