Erdogan criticizes Olympics opening ceremony as ‘immoral’ in call with Pope
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call with Pope Francis on Thursday regarding the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, which he called “immoral.”
In a statement, the Turkish presidency said on Thursday Erdogan told the Pope that the “immoral shows” during the ceremony had caused an uproar, adding that the disrespect to religious values marked an “alarm bell for the moral breakdown the world is being dragged into.”
“President Erdogan said human dignity was being trampled on under the guise of freedom of expression and tolerance, that religious and moral values are being mocked, and that this offends Muslims as much as the Christian world,” the presidency said on X.
“[Erdogan] believes that it is necessary to raise our voices together and take a common stand against these,” it added.
Erdogan had said on Tuesday he would call Pope Francis over what he called the “disgusting” attack on humanity’s sacred values during the Olympics ceremony, saying it was an insult to the Christian world and an imposition of the “LGBT lobby.”
[Reuters]
