Kaban ni D_BystandeR: NAGKABAKSIWA NGA PANAHOM SA LAWOM NGA PAMULONG NI PAPA FRANCISCO

The eloquence of Pope Francis in discussing the Charlie Hebdo "punch" line comment attributed to him where he said, if a close friend of him had cursed his mother then he (his friend) can expect a punch from him for that is not a justification for becoming violent in a reaction. But he clarified, there is prudence for one to use that you cannot continually use provocation to try one's patience. You have to respect a person for his chosen religion and not to mock him. Speaking to reporters en route home from the Philippines, Francis said" "In theory we can say a violent reaction to an offense or provocation isn't a good thing, that one shouldn't do it. In theory we can say what Gospel says, that we should turn the other cheek. In theory we can say that we have the freedom to express ourselves," he said. "But we are human. And there is prudence, which is a virtue of human coexistence. I cannot insult or provoke someone continually because I risk making him angry." The "punch" line and the confusion it caused, was a reflection of how Francis' informal and sometimes unpapal sense of humor can sometimes cause confusion or get him in trouble. In fact, moments after clarifying his Charlie Hebdo remarks, Francis told a story about a run-in he had back in the 1990s in Buenos Aires with two corrupt public officials who offered him the equivalent of $400,000 for his works of charity  on the condition that they got some of it back as a kickback. "And in that moment I thought, 'What should I do? Either insult them and kick them where the sun doesn't shine or play the fool," Francis said. He said he ended up playing the fool, but his response was further evidence that his casual speaking style is just that: casual.

Footnote: This is an excerpt taken from a news item in Yahoo News aboard a plane in  his flight home from the Philippines, entitled, "Pope: Charlie Hebdo 'punch' not a justification of violence." It came out on January 20, 2015.