When Iana Aleksandrovna Azhdanova, a Ukrainian Femen activist, got arrested, with the words “God is a Woman” daubed across her bare chest, in St Peter’s Square on Christmas Day, it did not make big news here. She was accused of the offence of vilipendio, or insulting a religion publicly, and locked in the cells in the Gendarmerie barracks. The Vatican alleged that she “intentionally offended the religion of countless people”, especially given the time and place of her protest. So Pope Francis’ colourfully expressed views last week that there are limits to free speech are borne out by the Vatican legal system, and that of many other countries.Massimo Introvigne of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which fights against religious di
22 January 2015, The Tablet
Letter from Rome
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