In previous pictures we posted of Benedict XVI caressing young women, some readers argued that they were just blessings, even when they looked like caresses. Since pictures do not reveal intentions but facts, albeit we considered those supposed blessings-caresses highly inappropriate for a Pope, representative of the Most Pure Lamb of God, we waited.

Time resolved any doubt. In the picture above, Pope Ratzinger tenderly caresses the cheek of an emotional devotee in Valencia, Spain. It can hardly be interpreted as a blessing since his hand is a good distance from her forehead.

Below, he caresses different young women, one with his left hand, the other with his right, at St. Peter's Basilica. Again, no possible blessing with the left hand, just a caress.

Vatican website,

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