Spokesman responds to viral video of Pope Francis refusing to let his ring be kissed saying the reason was simply hygiene

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Pope Francis has attempted to set the record straight after a video showed him repeatedly snatching his hand away from well-wishers who tried to kiss his ring, saying that he was worried about spreading germs.

Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said that Francis was concerned about hygiene when, after greeting dozens of people in a lengthy receiving line, he began pulling his hand away to discourage people from kissing his ring.

Play Video 0:57 Pope Francis rebuffs worshippers trying to kiss his ring – video

Video of the incident in Loreto went viral, with conservative critics condemning what they said was Francis’s “graceless” disrespect for the tradition and of the faithful who wanted to honour it.

Gisotti said on Thursday he had just spoken to the pope about it, and Francis replied that it was nothing of the sort.

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“The Holy Father told me that the motivation was very simple: hygiene,” Gisotti told reporters. “He wants to avoid the risk of contagion for the people, not for him.”

The tradition of kissing the ring of a bishop or pope goes back centuries, and is a sign of respect and obedience.

Gisotti said Francis was more than happy to receive the ring-kiss in small groups, where the spread of germs would be more contained, as he did on Wednesday when a handful of people lined up at the end of his general audience to greet him.

Several bent down to kiss his ring, and Francis patiently allowed it.

“You all know that he has a great joy in meeting and embracing people, and being embraced by them,” Gisotti said.

Francis is known for gleefully embracing babies given to him to kiss, and sipping from mate gourds offered to him by strangers when he’s out and about on his popemobile.

On Wednesday the pope allowed nuns and priests to kiss his papal ring during his weekly audience in St Peter’s Square.