Ahmadinejad thanks Vatican for its stance on Quran desecration

TEHRAN, Oct. 9 (MNA) -- In a letter to Pope Benedict XVI, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has praised the Vatican’s stance against the desecration of the Holy Quran.

Vice President Mohammad-Reza Mirtajoddini delivered the president’s letter to the Pope in Vatican on Tuesday.

“I thank you for your stance in condemning the unwise act of a church in Florida, America, in insulting the word of God which hurt the hearts of millions of Muslims,” the letter reads.

In his letter, the president also called for closer cooperation among divine religions to prevent destructive moves such as disregard for religious teachings which lead to moral degradation and undermine family life and depravity of the young generation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to further cooperate with the Vatican in order to stop acts of sacrilege, the spread of Theophobias and Islamophobia and the destabilization of families, the letter added.

Terry Jones, the pastor of the Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center church, had intended to set the Quran on fire on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks but cancelled his plan due to international pressure and criticism.

However, a copy of the Quran was burned by a U.S. citizen on Sunday.