The head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis has a reputation for being cool even in the face of adversity.
However, but his reaction when he was pulled in a not so gentle manner by a woman who held onto his hand and refused to let go has left many tongues wagging.
Visibly annoyed and in pain, the pope smacked the hand of the woman in a frantic attempt to free himself from her grip.
In a video shared by The Guardian on its news portal, Pope Francis is seen pulling away from the woman, a flash of anger on his face.
The 83-year-old had been out to meet The Independent described as a nativity display and was met by an ecstatic crowd of women, children and met.
As the head of the Catholic church made his approach, the woman in the video is seen making the sign of the cross before lurching onto the hand of the pope.
She is seen uttering some words to him but it remains unclear what she was trying to pass across, CNN said in its report.
Pope Francis is known to throw caution into the air while interacting with the faithful, a habit that sometimes puts his security detail on the edge.