Shocking Video Shows Man Urinating On Sacred Altar At St Peter's Basilica During Mass

In an absolutely shocking incident, a man appeared to urinate on the Altar of Confession at St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Friday (October 10) in front of hundreds of worshippers and tourists, Fox News reported. The video of the bizarre incident, which happened during a 9:00 am Holy Mass, went viral on social media platforms, with some users calling it "disgusting" and "disgraceful".

As per the report, the man climbed the altar steps, dropped his pants, and urinated on the sacred site. The Vatican gendarmes intervened immediately and took him away. However, it's now certain whether he was arrested or charged.

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As per Il Tempo's reports, the man, whose identity hasn't been revealed, "was promptly reached by plainclothes police officers present in the basilica" and was escorted out of the church.

Italian news outlets mentioned that Pope Francis was informed and "shocked to learn of the news". However, the Vatican officials haven't issued a statement so far.

This is not the first time such an incident has happened. As per the Catholic News Agency, a man desecrated the altar by climbing on top of it and throwing six candelabras that were on the altar to the ground in February.

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At that time, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement to ANSA: "This is an episode of a person with a serious mental disability who has been detained by the Vatican Police and then placed at the disposal of the Italian authorities."

In another incident in June 2023, a Polish man approached the high altar undressed and climbed onto the altar, with the words "Save children of Ukraine" written on his back. The incident had happened when the basilica was about to close.