Pope Frankie the Thug

I guess the hardscrabble streets of Argentina must produce similar individuals to the kind found in New Jersey: "Yo, insult my Mother again and I'll kick your ass! Nobody, I mean nobody insults my dear Momma!..." Well, his words don't need my poor effort at imitating Jersey-speak, so here's thug Pope Frankie himself: “One cannot react violently, but if [someone] says something bad about my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s to be expected." Whoa! Didn't expect that one! And he continues: "There are a lot of people who speak badly about other religions. They make fun of them. What happens is what happens with my friend [who insults my mother]. There is a limit.” http://on.wsj.com/1G1Imn4 You know, "what happens is what happens!" You've been warned!

I don't know what to make of this quote and I sure wish I could have been a reporter on that flight because I think some follow up questions were in order. But, let's give the Pope the benefit of the doubt and say he was simply pointing out the "reality" that some people react violently when mocked, like little children or mentally challenged adults, for example. People who are too stupid to understand the difference between actual violence and words. People who have fragile egos. People who have little faith in their religion. So, he wasn't saying we should "limit" speech, he was just giving us a "dose of reality" that we should expect to get punched by dumb people occasionally, and that's the price of freedom...

Or was this a veiled threat? Mock us Catholics and you know what will happen! You see what will happen if you keep calling us misogynist pedophiles....

The truth is that people who really believe in their religion are not offended by mockery. If you want to see people who have faith, look no further than Mormons. Forget a small time cartoon mocking you. They have an award-winning Broadway-caliber play that travels the country brutally mocking them. Some have denounced the play and the Church has made efforts to "counter" the "misinformation" of the play, but no threats of violence, no acts of violence. They believe. They have faith. After all, what can mockery do to an all-powerful, all-knowing God who could wipe out all of civilization in one swipe?