Man ‘Urinates’ on Sacred Vatican Altar in Front of Horrified Tourists
The man, reportedly mentally unwell, was arrested after urinating on one of Christianity’s holiest altars, raising concerns about Vatican security amid nearly 10 million annual visitors.
- On Friday morning, an unidentified man desecrated the Altar of the Confession at St. Peter’s Basilica around 9.30am during Mass, witnessed by hundreds and filmed widely.
- Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the unidentified man had ‘Save children of Ukraine’ written on his back and was mentally unwell, being handled by Italian authorities.
- Breaching barriers, the unidentified man bypassed turnstiles, climbed altar steps, lowered his trousers, and plainclothes police and Vatican security staff arrested him on Friday.
- Pope Leo XIV was informed and media reported he was ‘shocked’, while Cardinal Mauro Gambetti condemned the gesture and the Lepanto Institute demanded the altar be reconsecrated.
- In recent years, the Altar of the Confession has been targeted multiple times, including the February incident with six candelabras and the June 2023 naked protest, while the Code of Canon Law mandates a penitential rite after such acts.
An incredible incident caused a stir on Friday morning inside St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican , when a man committed an act of disrespect just a few meters from the famous Baldacchino by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the perpetrator managed to climb onto the confessional altar, pull down his pants and urinate in front of the astonished gazes of hundreds of visitors who were inside the temple at the time.
The incident, which occurred at around 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning (10/10), was captured on video published by the newspaper Il Tempo. According to the report, the young man breached the protective railing surrounding the altar under the iconic dome, hurriedly climbed the steps and, with a defiant stance, proceeded to perform the impious act.
Basilica security reacted immediately: carabinieri present at the scene intervened and arrested him on the spot, removing him from the sacred space.
According to Il Tempo, Pope Leo XIV was informed of the incident and reportedly expressed his deep disgust at the insult to one of the most sacred places of the Catholic Church.
