Pope Francis tries to stop people kissing his ring because he fears it could spread germs, the Vatican said Thursday in response to a viral video showing the Argentinian repeatedly withdrawing his hand from worshippers.
The incident was captured Monday during a visit to the Italian hill town of Loreto where the 82-year-old greeted dozens of parishioners.The smiling pope can be seen pulling back his hand repeatedly.
“The pope told me the reason he did not allow people to kiss his ring was because of hygiene… to avoid contagion when there are long queues of people,” Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Thursday.The video was shared online and had gained more than 11 million views on the Twitter social media platform by Thursday afternoon.
The scene in Loreto drew criticism from conservative Catholic observers who also frequently attack the pope over what they consider his too liberal approach to social issues. However, it has since emerged that the video was only a short version of a longer clip, which shows the pontiff patiently letting people kiss his ring at first before the queues grew longer.The Vatican advises worshippers not to bend the knee in front of Francis who is said not to appreciate the practice.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pope accepts abuse resignation of Chile cardinal Ezzati: VaticanPope Francis has accepted the resignation of Chilean Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati, who had agreed to step down along with his country's bishops over sexual abuse cases and their cover-up, the Vatican said Saturday.
Read more »
Francis accepts archbishop of Santiago’s resignationPope Francis has accepted the resignation of Chilean Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati, who had agreed to step down along with his country's bishops over sexual abuse cases and their cover-up.
Read more »
Francis accepts archbishop of Santiago’s resignationPope Francis has accepted the resignation of Chilean Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati, who had agreed to step down along with his country's bishops over sexual abuse cases and their cover-up.
Read more »
Francis accepts archbishop of Santiago’s resignationPope Francis has accepted the resignation of Chilean Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati, who had agreed to step down along with his country's bishops over sexual abuse cases and their cover-up.
Read more »
Francis accepts archbishop of Santiago’s resignation - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Chilean Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati, who had agreed to step down along with his country's bishops over sexual abuse cases and their cover-up.
Read more »
It was getting out of hand - Pope explains ring kissing mysteryGisotti explained that there were many people in line and the pope did want to spread germs as one person after another repeatedly kissed his hand at short intervals.
Read more »
It was getting out of hand - Pope explains ring kissing mysteryGisotti explained that there were many people in line and the pope did want to spread germs as one person after another repeatedly kissed his hand at short intervals.
Read more »
Police union boss 'assaulted' - but cops say he was resisting arrestPresident of the South African Policing Union (Sapu) Mpho Kwinika was 'assaulted' by police officers at the weekend during an arrest on 'trumped up' charges.
Read more »