To kiss the ring on the pope's hand or not to - that is the question. On Monday, when Pope Francis visited a Catholic shrine in Loreto, he repeatedly withdrew his right hand as a long line of people bowed and tried to kiss the ring on it. The footage went viral and the pope's refusal quickly entered what are known as the Catholic cultural wars between conservatives and progressives. LifeSiteNews, a conservative Catholic website that often criticises the pope, called the episode "disturbing" in the headline of an article that included a long history of the rings Popes wear and their significance. Rorate Caeli, a website read by Catholic traditionalists, tweeted: "Francis, if you don't want to be the Vicar of Christ, then get out of there!"

Source: The Star March 26, 2019 15:33 UTC