German archbishop calls for blasphemy law

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BAMBERG, Germany, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A Catholic bishop in Germany called for a law against blasphemy to protect all religions from attack after a German satire magazine attacked Pope Benedict.

Bamberg Archbishop Ludwig Schick said Wednesday a law should be created to protect religions from blasphemy, the Local.de reported.

"Those who injure the souls of believers with scorn and derision must be put in their place and in some cases also punished," Schick said.

The demand for a blasphemy law came a month after satire magazine Titanic published an image of Pope Benedict with a yellow stain on his robe referring to the recent Vatican leaks scandal. The pope took legal action against the magazine and the image was banned from being printed.

German parliamentary leader Volker Beck said the government is not allowed to ban irony or satire and many laws existed to protect against slander and defamation.