Pope Francis slapped away the hand of an overly-excited woman during a Nativity display in St. Peter’s Square on New Year’s Eve.
The Pope made a visit Tuesday to the Nativity scene in Rome just outside of Vatican City, according to CBS News. One over zealous woman grabbed Pope Francis’ hand and tried to pull him towards her. The 83-year-old appeared to scold the woman and then slapped her hand until she released him.
WATCH:
NOPE FROM THE POPE: While greeting people in St. Peter’s Square on New Year’s Eve, Pope Francis had to pull himself away from a woman who grabbed his hand and yanked him toward her. https://t.co/umkpOnbbX6 pic.twitter.com/0XzxtWTMUd
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 31, 2019
Pope Francis could be seen frowning as he walked away from the woman after the incident. (RELATED: Pope Benedict Breaks Silence On Sex Abuse Crisis)
The unknown woman was just one among a large crowd who had gathered to see the Pope as he made his way towards the Nativity scene ahead of the new year.
The Pope has called for Christians to learn to adjust their thinking as the times change. In a Christmas message earlier in December, he urged for people to “change our ways of thinking.”
“We are no longer under a Christian regime because the faith — especially in Europe, but also in much of the West — no longer constitutes an obvious premise of common life,” Pope Francis said. “On the contrary, it is even often denied, derided, marginalized, and ridiculed.”