Pope Orders Purification Ceremony After Man Urinates On St. Peter’s Basilica Altar

A man urinated on the Altar of the Confession at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on October 10th around 9:30 a.m. local time, witnessed by hundreds of tourists. The individual bypassed security barriers, climbed the altar steps, and committed the act before plainclothes police removed him. Pope Leo XIV reportedly expressed shock and met with Cardinal Mauro Gambetti to plan a response. The Vatican temporarily closed the basilica on October 13th for purification rites involving prayers, psalms, and holy water on the altar above St. Peter’s tomb. This marks the third desecration incident since 2023, following a February attack where a Romanian man damaged $30,000 worth of 19th-century candelabras and a 2023 incident involving a naked Polish protestor. (Story URL)