Pope Francis Wednesday urged the people to denounce violence against women in his New Year message, hours after slapping a woman’s hand to free himself from her grip. The Pontiff told worshipers gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican that “women are sources of life. Yet, they are continually insulted, beaten, raped,forced to prostitute themselves and to suppress the life they bear in the womb”.
Yesterday on the New Year’s Eve, the Pope was making his way to the Nativity scene in Vatican City when a woman from the crowd grabbed his hand and yanked him towards her while the pontiff began to walk away from the crowd.
Shortly before beginning his traditional New Year’s Day address, the Pope apologised for smacking a woman’s hand the previous day, to free himself from her grip.
