Just over a week ago, France was rocked by a terrorist attack aimed at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead. Widely known for their creative, and sometimes provocative, cartoons that targeted many world leaders, as well as religious figures, the senseless massacre has once again pushed the issue of Freedom of Speech to the forefront.
With the attack an apparent retaliation against the newspaper for its depictions of the prophet Muhammad, it seems Pope Francis has finally given his opinion on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
According to CNN, on a trip to the Philippines today, Pope Francis stated that:
?One cannot make war (or) kill in the name of one’s own religion. To kill in the name of God is an aberration.?
While it’s commendable for the Pope to denounce the cowardly attack on defenseless journalists in the name of religion, his following statements were more questionable. Speaking further on the subject, he went on to say:
?One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people’s faith, one cannot make fun of faith. There is a limit. Every religion has it’s dignity? in freedom of expression there are limits.?
Now the fact that the Pope believes that there are limits to ones freedom of expression is disturbing enough, the analogy that he follows this up with is even more disturbing.
With his friend, and papal trip organizer Dr. Alberto Gasparri, by his side, the Pope gave this example:
?If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s normal. It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.?
It’s normal? If you are referring to children in the schoolyard I guess it is. Good news for Catholic children everywhere, if your classmate insults your mother, the Pope gives you permission to punch them. As for adults, it seems the lines of religious violence keep getting blurrier and blurrier.
So for those keeping score, you can physically attack someone for insulting your mother or your faith, you just can’t kill them in the name of your God. While I can see how a beating would be much better than mass shootings, one has to wonder the ramifications statements such as these will have in some religious circles.
Regardless of how the Pope’s statements are taken, there are no limits to an individual’s freedom of expression. The ideology of the cowards that stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo is not just a French problem, it is a world problem.
?I Am Charlie Hebdo? should not become another trendy hashtag that passes with time. Real people died for merely expressing themselves non-violently, I refuse to put a limit on someone’s right to do so.
