Once again, Charlie Hebdo is making people irate, but this time its victim is the Catholic church. To mark the one year anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack that occurred in Paris last year, the satire magazine published a bearded man representing God with a Kalashnikov slung over his shoulder on it’s front cover. The caption translates to:
One year on: the assassin is still out there.
Commentary from the Vatican newspaper lashed out at the paper for not respecting each faith as religious leaders repeatedly condemn violence in the name of God:
Behind the deceptive flag of uncompromising secularism, the weekly is forgetting once more what religious leaders of every faith unceasingly repeat to reject violence in the name of religion – using God to justify hatred is a genuine blasphemy, as pope Francis has said several times.
In Charlie Hebdo’s choice, there is the sad paradox of a world which is more and more sensitive about being politically correct, almost to the point of ridicule, yet does not wish to acknowledge or to respect believers’ faith in God, regardless of the religion.
Laurent Sourisseau, the cartoonist, clarifies who is depicted on the latest cover:
No, this is not Mohammed. It’s above him. It’s the God of all those who have faith.
[source: theguardian]
