The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue received “with great concern” the news of the proposed “Koran Burning Day” on the occasion of the Anniversary of the September 11th tragic terrorist attacks in 2001 which resulted in the loss of many innocent lives and considerable material damage. “These deplorable acts of violence, in fact, cannot be counteracted by an outrageous and grave gesture against a book considered sacred by a religious community – the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue writes in a release -. Each religion, with its respective sacred books, places of worship and symbols, has the right to respect and protection. We are speaking about the respect to be accorded the dignity of the person who is an adherent of that religion and his/her free choice in religious matters”. “The reflection which necessarily should be fostered on the occasion of the remembrance of September 11th would be, first of all – the release goes on -, to offer our deep sentiments of solidarity with those who were struck by these horrendous terrorist attacks. To this feeling of solidarity we join our prayers for them and their loved ones who lost their lives”.
According to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, “each religious leader and believer is also called to renew the firm condemnation of all forms of violence, in particular those committed in the name of religion”. In this respect, the release ends with two quotes, one from John Paul II and one from Benedict XVI. The Polish Pope stated, in his address to the new Ambassador of Pakistan, on December 17th 1999, that “recourse to violence in the name of religious belief is a perversion of the very teachings of the major religions”. The current Pope, in his address to the new Ambassador of Morocco, on February 20th 2006, stated that “intolerance and violence as a response to offences can never be justified, for this type of response is incompatible with the sacred principles of religion”.