Pope calls for respect for religion, condemns violence in the name of religion
In order to create peace and understanding among peoples and men, it is necessary
and urgent that religions and their symbols be respected, and that believers should
not be subject to provocation that wounds their religious sentiments. Pope Benedict
made the remarks on Feb. 20, to the new ambassador of Morocco, Ali Achour, who presented
his credentials to the pontiff at a formal ceremony in the Vatican. Speaking in
French, the Pope also said that intolerance and violence can never be justified as
answers to offences, as they are incompatible with the sacred principles of religion.
For this reason, the Pope said, “we cannot but deplore the actions of those who deliberately
exploit hurt religious sentiments to foment violent acts, which are absolutely alien
to religions. Though not mentioning it explicitly, the Pope was obviously referring
to the cartoons in a Danish newspaper lampooning the prophet Muhammad, which had enraged
Muslims worldwide. The cartoons were first published in a Danish newspaper last
fall and were recently been reprinted in several European papers. Islamic anger has
grown, along with popular demonstrations, with Muslims burning or vandalizing Western
embassy buildings in Indonesia, Syria and Lebanon.