The Pope made the gesture and accompanying remarks while flying from Sri Lanka to the Philippines, where he started a five-day visit Thursday.
He didn’t mention Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine that was targeted by terrorists after it depicted the Prophet Mohammed in cartoons, something that many Muslims find offensive. The Paris magazine became a terrorist target after publishing one such cartoon years ago, and after last week’s attack, it placed Mohammed on its cover, this time showing him crying and holding a sign with the rallying cry “Je suis Charlie,” French for “I am Charlie.”
Still, even if he didn’t explicitly name the publication, the Pope was clear that he was referring to the general debate over what’s happened in France, including how people might react if they feel someone made a slight to their religious faith.
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And what he said on the Manila-bound plane doesn’t change that, according to Rosica.
“Pope Francis has not advocated violence with his words on the flight,” the spokesman said.
