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REX/ZUMA
World News

Insult my mother and you'll get a 'punch', says Pope

by Desmond Busteed

Francis was speaking to reporters on a plane as he flew from Sri Lanka to the Philippines on his tour of Asia about the terror attacks in Paris which killed 12 people, following the publication of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which featured a controversial depiction of the Prophet Mohammad.

Pope Francis said "one cannot make fun of faith" and that anyone who throws insults can expect a "punch."

To further his point, he referred to Vatican aide Alberto Gasparri who was standing nearby on the plane. "If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, then a punch awaits him.

"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," the pontiff said.

Pope Francis landed in the Philippines on Thursday, where 50,000 police officers took to the streets as part of a huge security offensive by the state, the largest Catholic majority country in Asia.

The Pope will lead a huge open air Mass in Manila on Sunday. He 78-year-old pontiff is due visit to Tacloban to meet survivors of a devastating typhoon in November 2013.

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