Immoral displays at a segment of the Paris Olympics opening caused outrage and drew reactions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told the Head of the Vatican State Pope Francis over the phone.
"President Erdogan stated that under the guise of freedom of expression and tolerance, human dignity was trampled upon and religious and moral values were mocked, which offended Muslims as much as it did the Christian world," Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications said in a statement on X on Thursday.
The Turkish president emphasised the need to raise a united voice and take a common stance against these actions, the statement said.
"President Erdogan also mentioned that the challenge to religious values and the propagation of deviant messages during the Olympic Games, which are meant to unite people, were alarming signals of the moral decay the world is heading towards," it added.
'Israel a threat to entire region'
In the phone call, President Erdogan also pointed out that "the attacks on Gaza by Israel have turned into genocide," causing a severe humanitarian crisis, and that "Israel carried out these massacres under the diplomatic, economic, and military umbrella provided by some states."
"President Erdogan said that the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh and the attack on Lebanon demonstrated once again that Israel is a threat to the entire region, the world, and humanity," the statement said.
Erdogan also stressed the need for the human alliance to take action without delay to ensure peace for Muslims and Christians living in Palestine.
"President Erdogan expressed his belief that Pope Francis's discussions with the countries supporting Israel, to stop the attacks and achieve lasting peace, would be beneficial before permanent damage is done to the political security, and social structure of the region and the world," said the statement.
During the conversation, Pope Francis thanked President Erdogan for his efforts towards peace and his sensitivity to the degradation of religious values.
