Pope Francis has set the record straight about why he pulled his hand away when throngs of people lined up this week to kiss his ring: for fear of spreading germs.
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Video of the incident went viral, with conservative critics blasting what they said was Francis'"graceless" disrespect for the tradition and the faithful who wanted to honor it. "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."
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