Culture of Encounter: Francis angrily slaps Woman pulling his Arm to get his Attention

Commotion in St. Peter’s Square

Culture of Encounter: Francis angrily slaps Woman pulling his Arm to get his Attention

No “contemplative gaze” here: Bergoglio upset after woman forcibly pulls his arm to get his attention on Dec. 31

[UPDATE 01-JAN-2020: At Angelus, Francis apologizes for how he reacted towards the woman]

For the false pope Francis, the year 2019 ended a bit differently than he had presumably expected.

At the Vatican, the last day of the year typically concludes with a celebration of Vespers and the chanting of the Te Deum in St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by a “papal” visit to the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square. The latter is accompanied, of course, by Francis making his rounds through the crowds to receive their adulation, although at this point one can hardly speak of “crowds” anymore, considering how few people now bother to show up to witness the Francis Show.

In any case, at today’s Vespers homily, Francis preached the usual political stuff he’s been shoving down everyone’s throat for the past nearly seven years:

And what does the Lord ask of the Church of Rome? He entrusts His Word to us and pushes us to throw ourselves into the fray, to involve ourselves in an encounter and relationship with the inhabitants of the city so that “His message runs swiftly.” We are called to encounter others and to listen to their existence, to their cry for help. To listen is already an act of love! To have time for others, to dialogue, to recognize, with a contemplative gaze, the presence and action of God in their existence, to witness with deeds more than with words the new life of the Gospel, is truly a service of love that changes the reality. By doing so, in fact, new air circulates in the city and also in the Church, the wish to start out again, to overcome the old logics of opposition and fences, to collaborate together, building a more just and fraternal city.

(Antipope Francis; in Jim Fair, “Celebration of First Vespers of Solemnity of Mary Most Holy, Mother of God and ‘Te Deum’ of Thanksgiving for Past Year”, Zenit, Dec. 31, 2019)

Little did he know, when he pronounced these words, that he would have a unique opportunity to put them into practice a short while thereafter, in St. Peter’s Square.

As Francis made his way back from the crèche, while going through the usual waving and hand-shaking ritual, an Asian woman, quite possibly Chinese, forcefully grabbed his arm just as he was turning away from the people gathered to his right to head over to meet the people to his left. This clearly caused him pain or discomfort and consequently didn’t sit well with the papal pretender, who angrily slapped her hand until she let go of him. The incident was caught on video, of course, a clip of which can be seen here:

The full Vatican News video from which this clip is taken can be watched here. The incident begins at the 1:45:40 mark. Unfortunately, we have not been able to determine, at this point, what the woman said to the Jesuit apostate as she vied for his attention. However, at 1:45:33, she can be seen making the Sign of the Cross, in apparent preparation for the encounter.

It looks like Francis failed to heed the call “to encounter others and to listen to their existence, to their cry for help.” It was a unique opportunity to “have time for others, to dialogue, to recognize, with a contemplative gaze, the presence and action of God in their existence, to witness with deeds more than with words the new life of the Gospel,” and he blew it. Neither was he interested in letting “new air circulate in the city and also in the Church”. Thus he failed to “overcome the old logics of opposition and fences, to collaborate together, building a more just and fraternal city.” Rather, he rigidly clung to his own certainties, expressing his disgust at the “smell of the sheep” and refusing what the “god of surprises” would have had in store for him. Instead of a “contemplative gaze” he offered this downtrodden sister but a grumpy grimace.

Sorry, Francis, but this was an EPIC FAIL.

Image source: news.sky.com (screenshot) / shutterstock.com
License: fair use / paid