A week after he slapped a woman's hand away to free himself from her grip, Pope Francis has bestowed his blessings on a nun, with just one condition: that she doesn't bite.

Walking through a large hall on Wednesday before his weekly General Audience, Francis was approached by a nun who asked for a kiss, calling: "A kiss, Pope!"

The pontiff responded with a joke, replying: "You bite!"

Francis then said "Promise you won't bite?" video from the interaction showed.

The nun nodded and the pope kissed her on the cheek before continuing to greet the crowd.

On New Year's Eve, the pontiff caused a stir when he slapped a woman's hand to free himself from her grip while greeting children and pilgrims in St. Peter's Square.

The Pope was making his way to the nativity scene at the center of Vatican City, when a woman grabbed his hand and yanked him toward her, video shows.

He became visibly upset and began slapping the woman's hand in an attempt to free himself, and he briefly shouted at her.

The pontiff later apologized for the incident before using his New Year's Day address to denounce violence against women.

"Love makes us patient. So many times we lose patience, even me, and I apologize for yesterday's bad example," he said.