Pope Francis holds a maraca percussion instrument as he watches artists form a Cuban circus perform during the weekly general audience on January 8, 2020 at Paul-VI hall in the Vatican. PHOTO: AFP
"I'll give you a kiss, but you must stay calm. Don't bite!" he told the enthusiastic nun, who had been shouting "Long live the pope!" as Francis greeted pilgrims before his weekly general audience.
The 83-year old Argentinian then bent to kiss her on the cheek, sparking cheers from fellow worshippers in the crowd.
It was the pope's first walkabout among the faithful since a pilgrim grasped his arm and tugged him towards her on New Year's Eve, prompting him to angrily swat her away in images that went viral on social media.
Francis apologised the next day, saying he too sometimes lost his patience.
Pope Francis gingerly agrees to a nun’s request for a kiss on the cheek after a video of him swatting away the hand of a pilgrim who grabbed him recently went viral and sparked a papal apology.https://t.co/hWPTuq7ro9 pic.twitter.com/iKYvDWjFij
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 8, 2020
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