Footage of Pope Francis pulling his hand away from would-be kissing parishioners has hit the viral video rounds.
Traditionally as people greet the pope, they kiss his ring but Francis was having none of it during this particular visit.
An aide close to the pope says that sometimes he likes it, sometimes he doesn't and according to the papal biographer Austen Ivereigh, he pulls his hand away in hopes that people actually interact with him.
“He’s making sure that they engage with him, not treat him like a sacred relic. He’s the Vicar of Christ, not a Roman emperor.”