Overview

• An unidentified man climbed the Altar of Confession during the Friday morning Holy Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and urinated on it as tourists filmed.
• Plainclothes officers intervened and removed the suspect, with outlets differing on whether he was formally arrested or charged.
• The Holy See Press Office has not issued a statement, and local reports say Pope Leo XIV was described as shocked after learning of the incident.
• The altar’s exceptional liturgical importance—reserved for papal ceremonies and situated over St. Peter’s tomb—has intensified concern about the breach.
• The episode follows earlier intrusions at the same site in 2023 and February 2025, prompting new calls for security reviews and possible reconsecration.