Paris cardinal defends press freedom in wake of Charlie Hebdo shooting
January 13, 2015
In a message read at all Sunday Masses in Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois lamented the Charlie Hebdo shooting, paid tribute to the police, and defended freedom of the press.
“A caricature, even if in bad taste, a criticism even if gravely unjust, cannot be placed on the same plane as a murder,” he said. “Regardless of the cost, freedom of the press is the sign of a mature society. That men born in our country, our fellow citizens, can think that the only just response to mockery or insult is the death of its authors puts our society before grave questions.”
“I invite the Catholics of Paris to pray to the Lord for the victims of the terrorists, for their spouses, for their children and their families,” he continued. “Let us pray also for our country: may the moderation, temperance and self-mastery of those who have given proof of this up to the present be confirmed in the coming weeks and months; may no one yield to panic and hatred; may no one give in to the simplification of identifying some fanatics with the entire religion.”
“And let us pray also for the terrorists, that they may discover the truth of God’s judgment,” he added.
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Further information:
- Cardinal Vingt-Trois: message to Paris Catholics (Vatican Radio)
- Paris Cardinal's Message to Catholics of the City (Zenit)
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Posted by: filioque -
Jan. 13, 2015 10:14 PM ET USA
Before someone jumps on me for not saying murder is wrong in my previous post, I will say it: Murder is wrong. The 500 character limit can be, well, limiting.
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Posted by: filioque -
Jan. 13, 2015 10:12 PM ET USA
Freedom of the press might be a sign of a mature society, but so is basic civility. The cartoons in CH are deliberately offensive and add nothing to any serious conversation. It is not necessarily the role of government to regulate such drivel, that's what freedom of the press means. But the society should reject it and say so. My message to CH: your publication is irresponsible and puerile. If you have a legitimate criticism of Islam or any other religion, make it like intelligent adults.
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Posted by: feedback -
Jan. 13, 2015 10:19 AM ET USA
There are problems with this statement. First of all: any anti-religious, let alone anti-Catholic, rhetoric that is mendacious, hateful, defamatory and inflammatory should not be deemed by any Catholic Bishop as deserving a place on the highest pedestal of "Freedom of Speech." And secondly, the defamation of Islam in Paris is more than likely to result in even greater persecution of Christians in Islamic countries. There is a whole world outside of France and its anti-religious "cartoons."
