This
is a tradition that comes to us from the Old and New Testament.
In the Old Testament people kissed the hands of their father
out of respect and of the Rabies', as chosen people of God. In
the New Testament people kissed the hands of the disciples, priests
and deacons because they carried the power of the Holy Spirit
through their priesthood from the day of their ordination. Another
reason the faithful kissed the priests' hand was because they
used their hand to distribute the Holy Communion. That is
why by kissing the hand of a clergy we show our respect to the
Holy Spirit, which is carried by the clergy. Kissing the
hand of the priest has nothing to do with the personality or character
of the person who is clergy. That is another kind of respect.
Especially
we must kiss the hand of the Bishop, who carries the Apostolic
Succession. We never shake hands with a clergy. By doing
so we express that we do not recognize his power of forgiving
sins and blessing, which is clearly written in the Gospel, so
we do not believe in Jesus Christ's teachings. The shaking
of hands belongs to the secular world, not in the ecclesiastical
world.
