Tobias Sylvester
Pope Francis has apologized for slapping a woman’s hand to free himself from her grip while greeting children and pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on New Year’s Eve.
KanyiDaily had published a video that shows the moment Pope Francis angrily smacked the hand of a woman while struggling to free himself from her grip outside the Vatican as he toured the Christmas nativity scene in St Peter’s Square.
In the video, Pope Francis could be seen walking through the square in Vatican City and greeting pilgrims on his way to see the large Nativity scene set up in the huge, cobbled esplanade.
After reaching out to touch a child, the pope turned away from the crowd only for a nearby woman to seize his hand and pull her toward him.
The abrupt gesture appeared to cause him pain and Francis swiftly wrenched his hand free, and he briefly shouted at the woman.
During his New Year’s wishes to the public at St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, Pope Francis apologized for losing his patience.
“So many times we lose patience. Me, too,” he said. “I apologise for the bad example given yesterday,” he said.
