Pope Francis apologized for slapping a woman’s hand after she yanked him toward her at the nativity scene in Vatican City on New Year’s Eve.

The encounter, which went viral, shows the pope, 83, greeting people and shaking hands on Tuesday when a woman grabbed his hand and pulled him to her as he was walking the other direction. He proceeded to scold her and swatted her hand away before moving on. It’s unclear who the woman is or what she said to him when she had his attention.