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Pope Francis apologizes for slapping woman's hand away at New Year's event

Pope Francis
Pope Francis at the New Year's Day mass. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images

Pope Francis apologized Wednesday for slapping a woman's hand away after she unexpectedly grabbed him during a New Year's Eve event in Vatican City's St. Peter's Square, according to Reuters.

What he's saying: "So many times we lose patience, even me, and I apologize for yesterday’s bad example." He also used his first homily during his first Mass of 2020 to denounce violence against women, comparing it to "a desecration of God."

  • "We can understand our level of humanity by the way we treat a woman’s body."
  • He also praised immigrant mothers who "risk perilous journeys to desperately try to give the fruit of the womb a better future and are judged to be redundant by people whose bellies are full of things, but whose hearts are empty of love."

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