Pope Francis scolds individuals who grabbed, tugged him during trip to Mexico

Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Pope scolds people grabbing at him
Pope Francis scolded a crowd of people that grabbed at his sleeves as he greeted them in Mexico.

MORELIA, Mexico -- There were some tense and testy moments in Mexico Tuesday when Pope Francis was tugged by overeager crowds grabbing at his sleeves. In a rare moment, the pope actually looked upset, sternly telling the crowds in Spanish, "Don't be selfish. Don't be selfish."

Francis then took a couple steps back as the crowds were told not to clump together.

He was wrapping up his trip to Mexico on Wednesday with some of his most anticipated events: a visit in a Ciudad Juarez prison just days after a riot in another lockup killed 49 inmates and a stop at the Texas border when immigration is a hot issue for the U.S. presidential campaign.

The pope makes a point of going to prisons on nearly every foreign trip, part of his longtime ministry to inmates and his belief that the lowest in society deserve dignity.

He has denounced abuse of pre-trial detention, called life sentences a "hidden death penalty" and urged a worldwide end to capital punishment. As pope, he continues to check in with Argentine prisoners he ministered to as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Related story: Pope Francis wraps up Mexico trip with visits to prison, US border