What happened?

Pope Francis has apologised for slapping the hand of a woman who reached out and grabbed him on New Year’s Eve. Film of the incident went viral.

The Pope was greeting people in the crowd on his way to the Nativity scene in St Peter’s Square when a woman reached out and pulled his arm, jerking him off balance. Francis, clearly annoyed, slapped her hand twice.

The next day he said: “We often lose our patience; me too, and I apologise for my bad example last night.”

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