Saudi
authorities have banned the distribution of the August edition of National
Geographic magazine, which contains a cover story on Pope Francis, due to “cultural
reasons.”
“Dear readers
in Saudi Arabia, we apologize that you did not receive August’s magazine,” the National
Geographic’s regional editor-in-chief, Alsaad Omar Al Menhaly, said in an
Arabic tweet.
“According to
the distribution company, the magazine was refused entry for cultural reasons,”
the post added.
While no
official word has come from Saudi authorities, Foreign Policy
magazine speculated the ban could be do with the Arabic headline, which described
the Vatican leader as leading a “quiet revolution” to reform the Catholic
Church.