Pope Francis apologises for slapping woman’s hand
Pope Francis has apologised for slapping the hand of a woman who grabbed him during a New Year’s Eve appearance, saying he provided a “bad example”.
The head of the Catholic church was greeting pilgrims at the Vatican on Tuesday night when a woman in the crowd seized his hand and yanked him toward her.
In a video footage of the incident, Francis could be seen hitting her hand before pulling his hand free.
“So many times we lose patience, even me, and I apologise for yesterday’s bad example,” the 83-year-old pontiff said at the end of the traditional New Year Mass in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday.
In the service at St Peter’s Basilica, the pope also condemned violence against women, saying the “rebirth of humanity began with a woman”.
“All violence inflicted on women is a desecration of God,” he said.
“By how we treat a woman’s body, we can understand our level of humanity.”
In March, Pope Francis also went viral after a clip showed him repeatedly withdrawing his hand away from being kissed by worshippers. The tradition of kissing the papal ring is seen as a sign of respect to the pontiff.
“The Holy Father told me that the motivation was very simple: hygiene,” Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti told reporters at the time.
“He wants to avoid the risk of contagion for the people, not for him.”