Charlie Hebdo Paris massacre: One cannot make fun of faith, says Pope Francis

Pope Francis has said that there are limits to freedom of expression and that making fun of religions is not acceptable.

The pontiff made the remarks during a press conference held on a plane en route to the Philippines, where he will stay for five days and meet with survivors of the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan.

During the conference, Francis spoke about the recent attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, where 10 members of staff and two policemen were killed by two armed gunmen claiming they belonged to al-Qaeda.

It is believed that the magazine was targeted for having published controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2011.

The pope said: "I think freedom of religion and freedom of expression are both fundamental human rights. Everyone has not only the freedom and the right, but the obligation to say what he thinks for the common good ... we have the right to have this freedom openly without offending.

"One cannot offend, make war, kill in the name of one's own religion -- that is, in the name of God. To kill in the name of God is an aberration," he continued and then, turning to an aide, he said: "It is true that you must not react violently, but although we are good friends if [the aide] says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch, it's normal.

"You can't make a toy out of the religions of others. In freedom of expression there are limits. One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people's faith, one cannot make fun of faith. There is a limit. Every religion has its dignity ... in freedom of expression there are limits."

The Charlie Hebdo attack sparked worldwide outrage with many world leaders attending marches in Paris to show their support to the French community. Thousands of netizens also showed their solidarity on social media by using the hashtag #JesuisCharlie.

A few days following the attack, Charlie Hebdo survivors published the magazine's latest issue with a cover depicting the Prophet Mohammed crying while holding a "Je Suis Charlie" sign.

The new cover was condemned by many Muslim countries as Islam forbids the depiction of the Prophet and other religious figures.