Pope Francis apologizes after smacking hand of woman who had pulled him toward her

The woman grabbed Francis’s right hand and pulled him toward her. The startled pope then smacked the woman’s hand as a way to break free, a reaction he apologized for on Wednesday.

Video showed Francis with a disgusted look as he walked away.

In his address to pilgrims a day after the incident, Francis diverted from his scripted remarks upon the mention of patience.

“So many times we lose our patience; me too, and I apologize for yesterday’s bad example,” Francis said.