On Thursday, Pope Francis condemned any killing in God"s name, defended freedom of expression, but insisted that other people"s religion could not be insulted or mocked.

The pope, speaking to reporters as he flew from Sri Lanka to the Philippines, made the comments in relation to an attack by Islamists on the offices of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, known for its satirical attacks on Islam and other religions, that killed 12 people.

“You can"t provoke, you can"t insult the faith of others, you can"t make fun of faith,” he told reporters

Francis has defended freedom of expression, but he said it was wrong to provoke others by insulting their religion and that one could “expect” a reaction to such abuse.