BREAKING Man Desecrates the Vatican's Saint Peter's Basilica in Front of Hundreds of Stunned Tourists

A man was captured after he desecrated an altar at the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica. According to several local media from Italy a man climbed the Altar of Confession and urinated in front of worshippers and tourists. As of Saturday, Oct. 11, Vatican Media has not commented on the incident that was released on over a dozen reliable news services with video. (Corriere Della Sera, Il Tempo, Radio Genoa, and others)

The man was apprehended by plainclothes gendarmerie officers inside the basilica and taken away.

According to Corriere Della Sera, this obscene act occurred inside St. Peter's Basilica, on Friday, October 10, around 9:30 a.m. and was reported in a video by Il Tempo.

The young white male managed to bypass the turnstiles that completely surround the altar beneath the canopy and, after quickly climbing the steps, reached the altar where, insolently, he dropped his pants and offended the altar by urinating on it. He was promptly caught by the plainclothes gendarmerie officers present in the Basilica, and was arrested and taken away. According to Il Tempo, Pope Leo XIV was also informed of yesterday's incident, and he was shocked to learn of the news.

This is not the first time something like this has happened: just last February, a man of Romanian origin managed to climb onto the altar of St. Peter's and, in an act of vandalism, caused several candelabras placed there for a liturgical celebration to fall to the ground. See : https://www.catholicnewsworld.com/2025/02/breakingnews-man-vandalizes-vatican.html

Sources: https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/25_ottobre_11/san-pietro-atto-osceno-in-basilica-sale-sull-altare-della-confessione-e-urina-davanti-a-fedeli-e-turisti-f2609d71-2135-465c-b102-5ee4c236exlk.shtml and Il Tempo