Pope Francis said Thursday there are limits to freedom of speech, especially when it insults or ridicules someone’s faith.
Francis spoke about the Paris terror attacks while en route to the Philippines, 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 Gasparri, who organizes papal trips and was standing by his side aboard the papal plane.
“If my good friend Dr Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch,” Francis said half-jokingly, 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.”
His pretend punch aside, Francis by no means said the violent attack on Charlie Hebdo was justified. Quite the opposite: He said such horrific violence in God’s name couldn’t be justified and was an “aberration.” But he said a reaction of some sort was to be expected.
Many people around the world have defended the right of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to publish inflammatory cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed in the wake of the massacre by Islamic extremists at its Paris offices and subsequent attack on a kosher supermarket in which three gunmen killed 17 people.
Others, though, have noted that in virtually all societies, freedom of speech has its limits, from laws against Holocaust denial to racially motivated hate speech.
Recently the Vatican and four prominent French imams issued a joint declaration that, while denouncing the Paris attacks, urged the media to treat religions with respect.
Francis, who has called on Muslim leaders in particular to speak out against Islamic extremism, went a step further Thursday when asked by a French journalist about whether there were limits when freedom of expression meets freedom of religion.
“There are so many people who speak badly about religions or other religions, who make fun of them, who make a game out of the religions of others,” he said. “They are provocateurs. And what happens to them is what would happen to Dr Gasparri if he says a curse word against my mother. There is a limit.”
In the wake of the Paris attacks, the Vatican has sought to downplay reports that it is a potential target for Islamic extremists, saying it is being vigilant but has received no specific threat.
Francis said he was concerned primarily for the safety of the faithful who come to see him in droves, and said he had spoken to Vatican security officials who are taking “prudent and secure measures.”
“I am worried, but you know I have a defect: a good dose of carelessness. I’m careless about these things,” he said. But he admitted that in his prayers, he had asked that if something were to happen to him that “it doesn’t hurt, because I’m not very courageous when it comes to pain. I’m very timid.”
He added, “I’m in God’s hands.”
DISS SEH :DI CORAN IS SHIT, THIS DONT STOP BULLETS
met when mi hear his response to the whole paris affair this morning I felt peace in my soul ,,,,because that was my response from day 1,,,,u just cant do that on both sidesof the isle ,,,dem no suppose to diss d ppl dem god an dem nuffi kill innocent ppl,,,free speech ave limit ,,,an u knw weh hurt mi dis big peace march an look weh a gwaan a Nigeria an nutten is like dem ppl deh life no worth nutten tru dem black
Dem use that term loosely and when it suit them. A bet if dem did mek fun a batteyman ina di paper it would been seen as homophobia and a incite hate etc. Dem fi move dem claaat and leave the people dem religion alone
Phantom see the pope a back you up :beer: .
BLACK PEOPLE NEED FI LEARN AND WISE UP “BLACK LIFE DON’T MATTER TO MOST WHITE PEOPLE” BUT NOT JUST BLACK. WHITES ONLY CARE ABOUT THE WHITE WORLD
HISTORY SHOULD BE YOUR GREATEST LESSON BOTH WORLD WAR WHO WAS IN IN ONLY WHITE THE REST OF THE WARS DON’T MATTER CAUSE THEY AREN’T WHITE. WHITE PEOPLE AREN’T DYING SO IT DOESN’T MATTER… 12 WHITE DIED IN FRANCE BIG DEAL BUT OVER 2000 DIED IN NIGERIA WHO CARES THAT’S NO NEWS ???? THE SAD PART IS BLACKS PEOPLE DONT CARE ENOUGH TO SEE WE HAVE A SOCIAL PROBLEM. IF IT’S NOT A MIX UP OR A FIGHT SOME KIND OF DRAMA ………
Am I supposed to take the Pope seriously? With his paedophile, contraception denying church he would say that there is a limit to freedom of expression, wouldn’t he? And my gosh, black people taking succour in what the Pope has to say about anything. We never learn.
As for the media supposedly ignoring what is going on in Nigeria…..well Goodluck Johnathan is ignoring it, too. It is very important that the Christian South in Nigeria sees to it that the Muslim North is in as much disarray as possible. With a peaceful North, there is the chance, due to the size of the Muslim population that a christian leader will never get into power again. There was a tactic understanding that Muslims and Christians would take turns in governance. But being a gynnal, Goodluck Johnathan has chosen to run for election again.
Unfortunately, political violence in Africa is not rare. People have compassion fatigue when it comes to Africa. There isn’t a black led country in the world where the corruption doesn’t affect even what is considered the basic rights of the inhabitants. Food, water, education, human rights. The day that we love ourselves (black people) more than we covet or lust after European Westernism and its affects on us, is the day that we will progress. It is our historical ,plus present day carelessness about black lives that let’s “others” come mongst we and take the piss It happened in the Arab/African slave trade and it happened in the TransAtlantic slave trade. It happened in colonialism, it is happening in post colonialism.
As for Islam. Racially, black people come bottom of that totem pole. But what can be expected towards a people who pick up and maintain other people’s religions with a swiftness? And if your belief is so weak that an “insult” can make your skin catch on fire, you are not as close to God as you believe. And for this reason, religion deserves to be mocked, if only to keep it, its unwarranted influence and its blind adherents in check. And remember, being religious is not a sign of piety or belief in God. Now if a person tells me that they are “righteous”, that may awaken my respect. Because a righteous person is quicker to acknowledge their wrongness or imperfections and knows how to separate themselves from the cultism of religion, which has nothing to do with belief in God.
The Pope is not the church so you cannot , if you use the church’s actions to judge him as an individual that isn’t fair. This pope was put in place to get rid of the bad priests the church has. As a member of a religious organization himself he made a fair statement, people should not make fun of people’s faith.
@ oh well…….good piece…..”But what can be expected towards a people who pick up and maintain other people’s religions with a swiftness?”…..the best part……and den dem get bex when mi aks wha mek jamaica have so much church??……