Pope Francis ‘angry’ condemns book burning

In an interview with the daily newspaper of the United Arab Emirates Al-Ittihad and released Monday, July 3, Pope Francis expressed his anger and strongly condemned the burnings of the Koran. He denounced the fact that this action could be justified in the name of freedom of expression.

“I feel angry and full of disgust”, said the pope, while the Holy Book of Islam was burned and trampled in front of a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday June 28. Francis asserted that “Any book considered holy by the faithful must be respected, and this out of respect for its believers”. “Freedom of expression should never be used as an excuse to look down on others”he estimated, judging that “The authorization of such an act is unacceptable and must be condemned”.

The Swedish police had initially banned several demonstrations aimed at burning the Koran in public places. But the Swedish courts overturned the bans on the burning of the Holy Book in the name of freedom of expression. The latest, on the first day of Eid-El-Adha, aroused the ire of the Muslim world. On Sunday, 57 Muslim states urged an end to this “religious hatred”.

“Culture of Tolerance”

In this context, Pope Francis has called for “the rooting of a culture of tolerance in our daily lives” and judged that the “tolerance will become a reality when we learn to respect differences and consider them as an asset and not a danger”citing excerpts from the document on human brotherhood.

“Human brotherhood is the antidote the world needs to heal from the poison of these woundshe told Al-Ittihad, the future of interreligious cooperation rests on the principles of reciprocity, respect for others and truth. »

“Be builders of peace, not artisans of death or violenceagain launched François to the attention of young people, find in faith in God the strength to become better and to make the world a better place. “Let religion be a vector of peace, coexistence and fraternity”he implored.