Pope Francis gave his opinion on the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, while visiting the Philippines, and used insulting his mother as an example. His quote has sparked backlash, with some accusing Pope Francis for suggesting that the murdered Charlie Hebdo cartoonists were "provocateurs."

The Huffington Post reports that while in the Philippines, Pope Francis spoke about the Charlie Hebdo attack. He motioned to his friend and assistant Alberto Gasparri, who was standing by his side, and said: "If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch," as he pretended to hit him. "It's normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others."

One of the lessons here: don't mess with the Holy Father's mother, or you can expect a punch in the face.

Francis continued and said that it was an "aberration" to kill in the name of God and said religion can never be used to justify violence.

But he added: "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."

Francis said he had spoken to Vatican security officials who are taking "prudent and secure measures" against possible attacks on him. "I am worried, but you know I have a defect: a good dose of carelessness. I'm careless about these things," he said.

Despite his "carelessness," the Pope added that in his prayers, he 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. I'm in God's hands."

On Twitter, many are accusing Pope Francis of victim-blaming with his comments regarding the attack on Charlie Hebdo.

According to BBC News, six million people attended an outdoor Mass held by the Pope in the Philippine capital, Manila. That would be a record for a papal event; about five million welcomed Pope John Paul II in Manila in 1995.

The Vatican said Pope Francis had dedicated the service in part to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the country in 2013.

The Mass will be the Pope's final full day in the Philippines, where there are 80 million Catholics, rounding up his six-day tour of Asia.