At the Basilica Saint-Pierre at the Vatican, a man rushed to the main altar on Friday, February 7, removing the tablecloth and kicking six gold candelabra dating from a value of 31,000 dollars ( € 30,000).
“This episode implies a person suffering from a serious mental handicap, who was detained by the Vatican police and then made available to the Italian authorities” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See press office, at the press agency Ansa. The reasons for its actions which have been filmed and relayed on social networks remain vague and the identity of man, of Romanian nationality, was not revealed.
The Vatican must welcome nearly 32 million visitors this year, including many pilgrims, on the occasion of the 2025 jubilee. For the event, the “Baldacchino” Baldoquin, overlooking the altar made in 1663 by the Italian sculptor Bernini dit Le Bernin (1598-1680) was restored in 2024. The catering which had cost $ 768,000 (739,000 euros) had been funded by the Order of the Knights of Columbus.
Other incidents have already occurred in the Vatican basilica. In 1972, the Hungarian geologist Laszlo Toth had struck the Pietà by Michelangelo (1498-1499) with a hammer. The Pietàseriously damaged, had been restored, and its reinforced safety.
