Pope Francis has apologised after he lost his cool with a woman who grabbed his hand on New Year’s Eve.
The pontiff was walking through the Vatican City’s St Peter’s square when the overzealous pilgrim seized him by the fingers and refused to let go.
The disgruntled 83-year-old was filmed slapping her hand repeatedly before walking off looking disgruntled.
This morning the Catholic leader apparently expressed regret over the incident during an address from his papal apartment.
Delivering his fist Angelus homily of the year, he hailed Christ’s patience, saying “his salvation is not magical, but patient.”
At that point he voiced remorse for his own “poor example”, according to Catholic news site Crux.
“So many times we lose our patience,” he reportedly said.
“Me too. And I apologise for the poor example yesterday."
His apology followed an earlier prayer on Wednesday morning, during which he harshly condemned violence against women.
Denouncing “every form of aggression” they face, including rape, forced prostitution and verbal abuse, he said: “By how we treat a woman’s body, we can understand our level of humanity.”
