A man was arrested by Vatican police yesterday after he jumped onto the High Altar in St. Peter’s Basilica and kicked off the historic candelabra along with the altar cloths.
Late Friday evening local time, footage emerged on social media of a man standing on top of the High Altar in the Vatican, and kicking the six candle-sticks down onto the floor. The man proceeded to throw the altar cloths onto the floor in front of the altar.
At this point, Vatican security guards seized hold of the man and took him into their custody.
In a statement issued to Ansa news agency, Matteo Bruni – director of the Holy See Press Office – said that “this is an episode of a person with serious mental disabilities, who was taken into custody by the Vatican Gendarmerie and handed over to the Italian authorities.”
Reports have suggested that the vandal was of Romanian origin, and aged around 40.
Security guards inside the Basilica appeared slow to react. Footage showed the man had already climbed over barriers and up the steps to the altar, then kicked off the six candles and was in the act of pulling off the altar cloth before he was apprehended. Spanish outlet ABC reported that guards were alerted by the man’s triggering of an alarm upon his climbing onto the altar.
The altar is situated directly above the tomb of St. Peter which is situated in the Vatican crypt. The candles he kicked to the ground are understood to date to the mid-1800’s.
Details have been sparse about the incident, and at the time of publishing no further information about the vandal or his motive has been publicized.
It comes in the midst of the Jubilee Year, which has seen heightened security checks around the city and a re-organization of St. Peter’s Square with increased security gates to funnel all pilgrims through the Holy Door at the Vatican.
A similar such event took place in June 2023, when a man jumped on top of the same High Altar and stripped his clothes off. He later told security that he was mourning “for Ukrainian children losing their lives under Russian bombardment.”
Following the incident, the Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Mauro Gamberti, held a penitential ritual at the altar, in accordance with the prescriptions of Canon Law.