The comment by a Vatican spokesman followed criticism from across Europe. On Sunday voters in Switzerland voted yes to a referendum which bans the building of minarets on top of mosques used by the country's small Muslim minority.
He said it was a "negative" move because banning the construction of Muslim mosque towers amounts to "oppressing a religion".
He told France's RTL radio: "I hope that the Swiss will go back on this decision rather quickly."
Muslim groups in Switzerland and abroad condemned the vote as anti-Islamic.
In staunchly secular France, legislators are holding discussions that could lead to a ban on the burka - the face-covering Islamic veil.
Posts
