Disturbing video: Pope Francis refuses to let faithful kiss his papal ring

[Aletheia4u]

In will not want someone to come up and kiss my ring on my finger. It cost money to have it clean.And plus they may have gingivitis or herpes. And sometimes, people that has bad breath. That it will leave a bad order behind.

 

[Snouter]

What island are you from Athetia?

 

[Compost]

In will not want someone to come up and kiss my ring on my finger. It cost money to have it clean.And plus they may have gingivitis or herpes. And sometimes, people that has bad breath. That it will leave a bad order behind.

Loreto, Italy, Mar 27, 2019 / 02:23 pm (CNA).- The Vatican press office declined to comment after a video went viral this week showing the pope refusing to allow pilgrims to kiss his ring as they greeted him.

The clip was taken from video footage of pilgrims meeting the pope after his celebration of Mass in the Holy House in Loreto, Italy, March 25.

In the clip, which is just over a minute in length, Pope Francis appears to pull his hand away each time a person approaches to greet him and attempts to kneel and to kiss his hand or ring.

A more full video by Vatican Media showed that the pope was receiving people for much longer than the first clip presented – around 13 minutes in total – and that he had allowed some people to kiss his ring, without visible protest, during the earlier part of the greeting line.

The custom of kissing the ring of the pope or a bishop has been a gesture of respect in the Church for longer than can be remembered, but likely started in the late Middle Ages, according to Fr. Roberto Regoli, who teaches contemporary Church history at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

He said kissing the pope’s ring “expresses devotion not to the person of the pope, but to whom and what he represents: the successor of the fisherman of Galilee” and “indicates fidelity and love for the Church.”

While the commonly-used Italian term for the greeting is “baciamano,” literally meaning “hand kiss,” Regoli said that is misleading, and properly speaking, it is the papal Ring of the Fisherman which is kissed.

Why do people kiss the pope’s ring? – Catholic World Report

 

[Carl in Michigan]

Catholics have bizarre rituals. The sort Jesus said not to do.

 

[Blues Man]

If some asshole wants me to kiss a ring I'll tell him to kiss my ass

At least this pope seems to know he's just a man