Vatican Condems Both Cartoons & Violence

In a statement offering reaction to a series of satirical cartoons depicting the prophet Mohamed in a way that is considered blasphemous to muslims, the Vatican spokesman Joaquin Novaro-Valls said that the right to free speech does not include the right to offend while also saying that violence that has ensued could not be justified.

Novaro-Valls is quoted as saying:
"Intolerance -- wherever it comes from, whether real or verbal, action or reaction -- always constitutes a serious threat to peace,"