Video footage of angry Pope Francis slapping woman’s hand away goes viral

A video clip of a visibly annoyed Pope Francis pulling himself away from a woman who tried to take his hand and pull him towards her, slapping her hand twice in the process, is currently causing a stir online.

The clip was taken at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican City on New Year’s Eve. The Pope can be seen happily greeting several pilgrims, turning away from the crowd after reaching out to greet a child.

Then, a woman can be seen abruptly taking hold of the Pope’s hand and attempting to speak to him, which appears to have hurt the Pope and causes him to angrily slap her hand away.

The clip has divided Twitter, with some defending the Pope’s reaction and others expressing the view that the pontiff should have shown more restraint.

Pope Francis apologised on Wednesday for his widely-viewed slap.

“We lose patience many times,” he confessed.

“It happens to me too. I apologise for the bad example given yesterday,” he said before celebrating Mass at the Vatican.

(Additional reporting by AFP)

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