In a news story that received much more coverage than it deserved, Pope Francis slapped the hand of a woman who grabbed him. She was saying something difficult to discern. She grabbed his hand and pulled him sharply towards her. The holy Pontiff suffers from sciatica, and likely felt pain and feared harm from the action of the woman. He slapped her hand and said, “Mano, mano!” which simply means “hand, hand”. He did not add, “Bruja” (a negative term for an old woman), as some persons claimed.

The providence of God encompasses all things. And the Roman Pontiff especially is under a special providence from God. So this event may have been a providential sign, and since it occurred at the start of the new year, it would be an indication of events for the coming year.

My interpretation (and hope) is that this year, 2020, the Roman Pontiff will the hand of the papal accusers, who have long been tugging at him to compel him to move closer to their version of Catholicism. They murmur at him constantly, in words that are difficult to discern (as their speech is empty). They are insistent that he must move closer to their ideas, their understanding of the Catholic Faith. They pull at him, wishing to correct him, even though they are the ones in error.

And in 2020, I speculate that Pope Francis will slap their hand. He will correct them for causing him and the Church great pain by their misuse of forceful and false words. They are like old women telling silly fables — about the Church, the Pope, his election, etc.

“But avoid the silly fables of old women.” (1 Tim 4:7).

“For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine, but instead, according to their own desires, they will gather to themselves teachers, with itching ears, and certainly, they will turn their hearing away from the truth, and they will be turned toward fables.” (2 Tim 4:3-4).

Ronald L. Conte Jr.