Pope Francis recently spoke out against acts of religious violence while en route to the Philippines, and said that killing "in the name of God" is wrong. He also stressed that the terror attacks in France that killed 17 people were completely unjustified. However, he added that it is also wrong to belittle the religions of others.

According to CNN, he stated, "One cannot make war (or) kill in the name of one's own religion... To kill in the name of God is an aberration."

However, he continued by saying, "One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people's faith, one cannot make fun of faith." The Huffington Post reports that he then referred to his friend Alberto Gasparri, who organizes papal trips and was standing by his side aboard the papal plane.

Francis continued, "If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch... It's normal. 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 is what would happen to Dr. Gasparri if he says a curse word against my mother. There is a limit."

According to the Wall Street Journal, Francis stated, "Each person not only has the freedom but also the obligation to say what he thinks in the name of the common good... each religion has its dignity. I cannot make fun of it."

After the Charlie Hebdo shootings, many people around the world have defended the magazine's right to publish inflammatory cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed. On the other hand, some people have noted that in virtually all societies, freedom of speech has its limits, from laws against Holocaust denial to racially motivated hate speech. 

What are your thoughts on the issue?