Pope: Islamic Cartoons "Pour Gasoline on Fire;" Vatican Paper Views Cartoons as "Blasphemous"

The Vatican's semiofficial newspaper blasted a series of cartoons of Islam's Prophet Muhammad as "blasphemous," but also condemned the "mad and bloodthirsty" extremists who opened fire this week at a Texas exhibit of the cartoons, the Religion News website reports today (May 7, 2015).

The front-page article in L'Osservatore Romano likened the exhibit in Garland, Texas to "pouring gasoline on the fire" of religious sensitivities and was critical of its sponsors -- the American Freedom Defense Initiative, and professional provocateur Pamela Geller.

Police on May 3 shot and killed two gunmen who opened fire outside the exhibit that was designed to provoke Muslim sensitivities; the Islamic State has since claimed responsibility for the attack that injured a security guard, and promised more attacks to come.

L'Osservatore Romano said the Texas event "resembles only remotely the initiatives of 'Charlie Hebdo,'" referring to the French satirical weekly whose office was attacked by Islamist extremists in January. Twelve people were gunned down at the Paris premises by the Islamist militants, who targeted magazine staff for publishing similar cartoons.