Pope Francis apologized Wednesday (Jan. 1) after a video of him slapping away the hand of a female worshipper who yanked his arm on New Year’s Eve at the Vatican went viral.
The clip shows the woman grabbing the Pope’s arm with both hands and pulling him towards her, after which the visibly angry pontiff slapped her hands twice and walked away.
PEEVED PONTIFF: Pope Francis does not look happy after a woman grabbed his arm during a walkabout at the Vatican. https://t.co/h23Za1AI39 pic.twitter.com/ciOTEqO5E7
— ABC News (@ABC) January 1, 2020
In his address on Wednesday, he offered an apology and spoke of the importance of patience. “Love makes us patient,” he said. “So many times we lose patience, even me, and I apologize for yesterday’s bad example.”
The Pope also went on to condemn violence against women, adding that “women are sources of life. Yet they are continually insulted, beaten, raped, forced to prostitute themselves and to suppress the life they bear in the womb. Every form of violence inflicted upon a woman is a blasphemy against God, who was born of a woman.”
He also mentioned gender equality in his speech, noting that women “should be fully included in decision-making processes” and that “every step forward for women, is a step forward for humanity as a whole.”
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