Security officers removed a man from St. Peter's Basilica on Friday after he urinated on the Altar of Confession, the sacred site where the pope celebrates Mass in Vatican City, Catholic News Agency reported.
Corriere della Sera's Rome edition reported that the man scaled the altar and "urinated under the stunned gaze of hundreds of tourists." Social media platforms widely circulated video footage capturing the desecration.
Il Tempo reported that the man "was promptly reached by plainclothes police officers present in the basilica" and was removed from the church.
The Italian newspaper stated Pope Leo XIV was "shocked to learn of the news," though the Holy See Press Office had issued no official statement about the incident as of October 11, Catholic News Agency noted.
The papal altar where the pontiff says Mass has faced vandalism attacks twice before this year, according to Catholic News Agency. A vandal desecrated the altar in February by scaling it and hurling six candelabras from the altar to the floor, Catholic News Agency reported.
A Polish man approached the high altar in June 2023 as closing time neared, removed his clothing, and climbed onto the altar with the words "Save children of Ukraine" written in marker across his back, according to photographs circulated online. Vatican officials performed a penitential rite following that desecration, Catholic News Agency reported.
