Man ransacks altar at St. Peter’s Basilica

A man jumped onto the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Friday and knocked down candelabra worth thousands of dollars.

A man has caused minor damage at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican after jumping onto the main altar and knocking over 19th-century candelabra, worth thousands of dollars.

Video posted on X shows the individual climbing onto the altar, which is used for major liturgical celebrations presided over by Pope Francis.

He’s seen pulling off the altar cloth before being stopped by security in front of stunned tourists.

The altar is located just under the basilica’s famous stone canopy, designed by Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, which was recently restored.

The suspect is a Romanian national and the candelabra he knocked down are worth €30,000 (US$31,000), Italian news agency Ansa reported.

A Vatican spokesman told the agency that the incident involved 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 incident takes place during the Catholic Church’s jubilee year, with 32 million pilgrims expected to come to Rome in 2025.

The basilica has been preparing for an influx of visitors, given it’s a destination point for those coming to Rome for the jubilee.

The basilica has put in new protective glass in front of Michelangelo’s Pieta, which was attacked with a hammer in 1972, while a similar incident of a man throwing candelabra off the main altar occurred in 2019.

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