Pope: You should expect a punch for mocking religion

THE Pope said yesterday that religion should not be mocked – and added that ‘provocateurs’ who do can expect a ‘punch’.

Entering the debate about Charlie Hebdo’s Mohammed cartoons, Pope Francis condemned the murderous attack by Islamist fanatics on the French satirical magazine.

He also defended free speech as a fundamental human r i ght, saying everyone had a duty to speak their minds in support of the common good.

But he said those who make fun of religion can expect retaliation.

Pope Francis, 78, responded to last week’s Paris attacks as he flew to the Philippines on an official trip.

He said: ‘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.

‘They are provocateurs. And what happens to them i s what would happen to Dr Gasparri if he says a curse word against my mother. There is a limit.’ He was referring to Alberto Gasparri, a Vatican official who was standing by his side.

The Pope continued: ‘If my good friend Dr Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch.’ Francis then threw a mock punch his way, and said: ‘It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.’

The Pope’s intervention came amid heated debate about Charlie Hebdo’s repeated publication of cartoons satirising Islam and other religions. The new issue of the magazine again features a cover cartoon of the prophet Mohammed, which Muslims consider blasphemous.

It has been widely denounced in the Islamic world, with an Egyptian Islamic education authority describing it as an ‘ unjustified provocation’. A court in Turkey has ordered a ban on access to four websites that displayed the cartoon, and the issue has been banned in Senegal, West Africa.

Speaking en route to the Philippines, the Pope said: ‘I think both freedom of religion and freedom of expression are both fundamental human rights.

‘Everyone has not only the freedom and the right but the obli- gation to say what he thinks for the common good ... we have the right to have this freedom openly without offending.’

Referring to historic conflicts such as the Crusades against Islam, which were backed by the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope said: ‘How many wars of religion have we had?

‘Even we were sinners but you can’t kill in the name of God. That is an aberration.’