By Daria Okruta
Staff Writer
According to Italian news agency ANSA, a man desecrated the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica at the beginning of this month by throwing down the candelabras and climbing on top of the altar before security guards detained him.
Several videos posted on social media show the moment this happened. In addition to throwing the six candelabras, the man tried removing the cloth that covered the altar. Astounded tourists watched as the man jumped off the altar and was quickly apprehended by the basilica’s security agents.
ANSA was told by a Vatican spokesperson that “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.”
The man’s identity has not been released, but he is currently in custody.
With this being the Jubilee Year, the Vatican is expecting over 30 million more pilgrims and visitors to arrive. This incident was not the first of such attacks, but we can pray that there will be fewer in the future.