Iran President's Remarks on Freedom of Expression Raise Eyebrows

Iran President Hassan Rouhani says that insulting people's faith is not part of freedom expression.

Rouhani made the comment while speaking to reporters after an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Rouhani said he agreed with the pope's observation that insulting a religion could produce a violent reaction, like the Paris attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

He mentioned that he and the pope discussed freedom of expression during their Tuesday visit.

"All religions are to be respected, their books and the millions of people who follow the faith," Rouhani said, adding that insulting them "creates division and doesn't help anyone."

Rouhani's comments, however, aren't consistent with Iran's practices.

Earlier this month, Open Doors, a Christian non-profit that tracks persecution, listed Iran in its top 10 countries for practicing extreme persecution of Christians in 2015.

Also this month, Iran released Pastor Saeed Abedini, imprisoned for his faith for more than three years. 

Rouhani is headed to Paris next as part of a four-day trip to boost Iran's image abroad. The pope called on the Iranian leader to play a key role in stopping the spread of terrorism.

Iran is hoping to take on a bigger role in mediating Middle East conflicts and Francis' papacy has emphasized mediation and conflict-resolution, most notably in working with the United States and Cuba.

The Vatican meeting marks the first official call paid on a pontiff by an Iranian president since 1999. Rouhani and Pope Francis met privately for 40 minutes.