Pope Francis clarified one church-related mystery on Thursday, explaining that it was a fear of spreading germs that provoked him to yank his hand away from the lips of devoted worshippers as they bent down to kiss the papal ring earlier this week.
Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti told reporters on Thursday that the pope did not intend to buck centuries of tradition, but was interested in preventing disease.
“The Holy Father told me that the motivation was very simple: hygiene,” Gisotti said after speaking directly with Pope Francis about the matter. “He wants to avoid the risk of contagion for the people, not for him.”
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