Oh, that Francis

The problem with being Pope is that every word you utter gets scrutiny. And Pope Francis likes to talk:

Francis spoke about the Paris terror attacks while en route to the Philippines on Thursday, defending free speech as not only a fundamental human right but a duty to speak one's mind for the sake of the common good.

But he said there were limits.

By way of example, he referred to Alberto Gasbarri, who organizes papal trips and was standing by his side aboard the papal plane.

"If my good friend Dr. Gasbarri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch," Francis said half-jokingly, throwing a mock punch his way. "It's normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others."

The Pope Whisperers at the Vatican tried to clarify what the Pope really meant:

The Rev. Thomas Rosica, who collaborates with the Vatican press office, issued a statement early Friday stressing that the pope was by no means justifying the attack on Charlie Hebdo.

"Pope Francis has not advocated violence with his words on the flight," he said in a statement.

He said Francis' words were "spoken colloquially and in a friendly, intimate manner among colleagues and friends on the journey." He noted that Francis has spoken out clearly against the Paris attacks and that violence in God's name can never be justified.

How do I put this delicately? In a lot of ways, the man who was until recently Cardinal Bergoglio is something of a chatty Cathy. He likes to talk and he tends to be pretty colloquial, which is in keeping with his approach to ministry. That's great if you're having private conversations with members of your congregation, but he's in a different position now.

I continue to think that the Pope's instincts are good on a number of issues, especially the need to focus on the poor -- too many American parishes are so busy building glittering facilities and counting their money that they can't see through the stained glass. We should always be about faith and works and less about making delicate doctrinal distinctions. The Church is large enough to accommodate Opus Dei and Dorothy Day. Still, I am a little woozy at some of what Francis says when he's working the rope line. The contradictions of the Church are always there; this Pope lays them out for the world to see.