Forget it Francis

A week after the archbishop of Paris came out in support of freedom of the press, whatever the price, Pope Francis spoke out to contradict him.

He spoke about the recent murders in Paris. That is, he chose to speak about the murders at Charlie Hebdo and not about the killing of Jews at the Kosher supermarket.

The Pope’s response reminds one of those who explain rapes by criticising the raped woman’s short skirt: “in freedom of expression there are limits. … One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people’s faith, one cannot make fun of faith.” This is, of course, some Huzpeh, considering the track record of his organisation in insulting and degrading Jews over many centuries.

The Pope takes advantage of the attack on the caricaturists, to lobby for a special status for his group of power holders, all religions. FORGET IT FRANCIS. No entity that has power over others – be it political, economic or religious - should be immune. This is essential to prevent abuse of their power. They should and must be scrutinised, criticised, provoked, made fun of – anything that might question the power they have over us.

To explain his thinking, the Pope added, “If my good friend Dr Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s normal. It’s normal.” WOW. So now, the Catholic Church has formally adopted “an eye for an eye” theology and abandoned Jesus’ turn-the-other-cheek preaching in the Sermon on the Mount. This is some revolution. Congratulations!