Pope Francis Loses Temper After Fans Pull Him Into Crowd on Mexico Tour
Pope Francis became visibly agitated during his visit to Mexico this week when some overly-excited fans pulled on his sleeves, causing him to fall into a wheelchair-bound child.
The pontiff was happily greeting fans during his visit to Morelia, Mexico, this week when two zealous crowd members pulled on the pope's robe, causing him to lose his balance, fall over a barrier and partially landing on a handicapped child sitting front row.
Security guards helped the pope regain his balance, and the pontiff was quick to hug and kiss the boy he had accidentally fallen onto.
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Video footage shows a red-faced, visibly upset pope chastising the aggressive crowd members, repeatedly saying in Spanish "No seas egoista! No seas egoista!" which translates to "Don't be selfish! Don't be selfish!"
After the pope's tumble, an announcer on the venue's loudspeaker encouraged fans to be more careful when greeting the 79-year-old religious leader.
"We are asking you to be careful," the announcer said. "Please contain yourself. Pope Francis wants to greet us, but if we pile up, it will be difficult to do so."
The incident took place before the pope made a speech to a large number of Mexican youth, focusing on the importance of following God instead of the influential drug cartels that dominate parts of the country.
"You've asked me for a word of hope, the one I have to tell you, the one at the base of everything, is called Jesus Christ. When everything seems heavy, when it seems the world is against us, embrace your cross, embrace Jesus," the pope told the crowd of young Mexicans packing a soccer stadium in Morelia.
"Jesus, who gives us hope, would never invite us to be sicarios [hitmen]. He calls us disciples. He calls us friends. He would never doom us to fail; everything about Him is an invitation to life," the pope added.
Wednesday wraps up the pope's final leg of his Mexico trip, where he focused on issues that plague Mexican society, including immigration, government corruption, and drug cartels.
The pope's trip will end with a visit to the city of Juarez, known to be one of the epicenters of the country's violent cartel issue. The infamously dangerous city shares a border with El Paso, Texas.
There, the pope will stand near the Rio Grande River to engage undocumented migrants from both the Mexico and U.S. in a prayer for the country's immigration problem.
The pontiff's visit to Juarez has garnered criticism from some, including 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump, who argued that the religious leader is pandering to Mexico's views on immigration.
The Vatican has defended the pope's Juarez visit, with the Rev. Federico Lombardi telling The Associated Press: "The pope always talks about migration problems all around the world, of the duties we have to solve these problems in a humane manner, of hosting those who come from other countries in search of a life of dignity and peace."
