Pope Francis said there are limits to freedom of speech, especially when it insults or ridicules someone’s faith, in comments that the Vatican later said on Friday did not mean justifying the attack on the satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo .
Francis spoke about the Paris terror attacks while en route to the Philippines on Thursday, defending free speech as not only a fundamental human right but a duty to speak one’s mind for the sake of the common good.
But he said there were limits.
By way of example, he referred to Alberto Gasbarri, who organises papal trips and was standing by his side aboard the papal plane.
“If my good friend Dr. Gasbarri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch,” Francis said, throwing a mock punch his way. “It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.”
The Rev. Thomas Rosica, who collaborates with the Vatican press office, issued a statement on Friday stressing that the Pope was by no means justifying the attack on Charlie Hebdo .
“Pope Francis has not advocated violence with his words on the flight,” he said in a statement.
