A year after attack, Charlie Hebdo cover cartoon stirs critics

French President Francois Hollande (C) and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo unveil a commemorative plaque outside the former offices of French weekly satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo during a ceremony to pay tribute to the victims of the last year's January attacks in Paris, France, January 5, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS -- A cover cartoon of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to commemorate its late journalists killed a year ago, gave a fuel to critics in the country which was preparing a memorial week of last year's victims.

In a special edition to appear on Wednesday, the magazine said to publish a front page showing an angry God with blood on his hands and a Kalashnikov strapped to his back.

"One year later, the assassin is still on the run," its headline says, pointing the finger to religions to be behind the attacks.

To the Catholic Church in France (CEF), this cartoon was "useless provocation."

"The CEF does not comment what seeks only to provoke. Is this kind of controversy that France is in need?" it tweeted.

Speaking to the news channel BFMTV, My Lord di Falco, Bishop of Gap said "What is religions? They are people. And nobody demanded to harm the newspaper. They would tend to treat these editorials with lack of interest."

In the Muslim camp, Abdallah Zekri, the head of the Islamophobia Observatory, declined to commemorate the victims of last year's Jan. 7 attacks.

"I decided in the next 48 hours, to do something for the memory of the Charlie Hebdo killed journalists. But, I will do nothing at all. I really feel that I'm attacked (by a Charlie Hebdo's cover cartoon)," Zekri told BFMTV.