Pope Francis issues apology for slapping devotee

Pope Francis has issued an apology after he slapped a devotee’s hand to free himself from his grip. The incident happened at the Vatican during New Year’s Eve as he greeted pilgrims.

Francis lost his temper that night after a woman abruptly grabbed him by the hand and forcefully pulled him towards her. Prior to the incident, he was seen reaching out to greet a child in the crowd.

The woman refused to let go of the pope even as he struggled to free himself from her grip. He then slapped her hand off prior to pulling his hand free. Both of them looked obviously irked by what had gone down.

He then apologized about the incident while he delivered his Angelus address at St. Peter’s Square the next day. “I apologize for the bad example yesterday … sometimes even I lose patience,” the pontiff said as per The Guardian.

The video of the incident went viral on social media. One Twitter user reacted to the video writing, “What the pope did demonstrates one thing – he’s a man.” In case you missed it, you can watch the video below:

On Wednesday morning, Francis condemned violence against women in another address. “By how we treat a woman’s body, we can understand our level of humanity,” he said.

Francis is known to be uncomfortable with certain traditional interactions with the masses. One video that went viral last year showed the pope repeatedly pulling his hand away from devotees attempting to kiss his papal ring.

Danny Manly
Danny Manly
Danny is a reporter and news columnist for Best in Australia. He covers world news the latest world news headlines and international news including US News and Europe, Middle East News.
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