Dubai : Pope Francis said the burning of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, has made him angry and disgusted and that he condemned and rejected permitting the act as a form of freedom of speech.
“Any book considered holy should be respected to respect those who believe in it,” the pope said in an interview in the United Arab Emirates newspaper Al Ittihad, published on Monday. “I feel angry and disgusted at these actions.”
The Pope said freedom of speech should never be used to despise others and allowing that is rejected and condemned.
He stressed that the future of interfaith cooperation is based on the principle of reciprocity, respect for the other, and the truth.
He added: “Today we need peacebuilders, not weapons makers; today we need peacebuilders, not instigators of conflicts; we need firefighters, not arsonists; we need advocates of reconciliation, not those threatened with destruction,”.
