At the Vatican, an unidentified man publicly urinated on the altar of St. Peter's Basilica

An unprecedented incident occurred in the Vatican: an unknown man desecrated the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica by urinating on it in front of numerous visitors. The offender was promptly detained by the Vatican gendarmerie.

According to the Italian edition of Corierre della Siera, the incident occurred in close proximity to the famous baroque canopy of the XVII century, created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The man managed to get past the fences that completely blocked access to the Altar of Confession. He quickly climbed the steps, pulled down his pants and committed the act of desecrating the shrine in front of hundreds of shocked tourists and worshippers.

Plainclothes Vatican gendarmerie officers immediately apprehended the offender and escorted him out of the shrine. According to the report, the incident was reported to Pope Leo XIV, who was deeply shocked by what happened.

Recall that on September 6, 2025, in the Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in Rome, representatives of the RCC celebrated Mass for homosexual Catholics. The event was held «with the blessing» of Pope Leo XIV and gathered about 1,200 participants. The Mass was led by Bishop Francesco Savino, vice president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.