Pope Francis has been filmed repeatedly pulling his hand away from people as they tried to kiss his ring.
During his visit to the Loreto shrine on Monday, the Pope greeted worshippers, allowing some to kiss the ring - an act to which an indulgence is traditionally attached.
However, he then refused to let a succession of people kiss the ring, pulling his hand away from each one.
Reuters quoted a "close aide" who said he was "amused" by the reaction to the video. “Sometimes he likes it, sometimes he does not," he said. "It’s really as simple as that”.
This article initially attributed the comment “Sometimes he likes it, sometimes he does not" to a Vatican spokesman. It was in fact made to Reuters by a "close aide". The article also said that the Pope, rather than the aide, was "amused" by the reaction. We have corrected this. We apologise for the errors.
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