Pope Francis, speaking in reference to the cartoons in the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris has said it was wrong to provoke others by insulting their religion and that one could “expect” a reaction to such abuse. Those who mock other faiths can expect to provoke a strong — even violent — response.
The Roman Catholic leader spoke, “You can’t provoke, you can’t insult the faith of others, you can’t make fun of faith,” he told reporters on Thursday, aboard a plane taking him from Sri Lanka to the Philippines to start the second leg off his Asian tour.
As reported in Reuters, Francis was asked about the relationship between freedom of religion and freedom of expression, to which he reply:
“I think both freedom of religion and freedom of expression are both fundamental human rights,” he said, adding that he was talking specifically about the Paris killings.
“Everyone has not only the freedom and the right but the obligation to say what he thinks for the common good … we have the right to have this freedom openly without offending,” he said.
To show his point, he turned to an aide and said: “It is true that you must not react violently, but although we are good friends if (he) says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch, its normal.
“You can’t make a toy out of the religions of others,” he added. “These people provoke and then (something can happen). In freedom of expression there are limits.”
The pope made the comments during an in-flight news conference from Sri Lanka to Manila.
Charlie Hebdo known for its satirical attacks on Islam and other religions which led to Paris attack killing 12 persons.